On The Way Down
by sparkly green nail polish
Summary: It’s been two years since Letty’s death and in a last ditch effort to get himself together for his sake and for his son’s sake, Leon goes home. Back to the place he grew up – Miami. SEQUEL TO MAKESHIFT BEDS AND MORPHINE complete
1. Guardian Angels and Starry Women

**A/N: SEQUEL! I couldn't help myself, so here it is - the first chapter of On The Way Down. Hopefully you'll enjoy this one as much as you enjoyed Makeshift. Cheers!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from TFATF .. dammit..**

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**Leon hitched his charge a little higher on his hip, patiently avoiding getting a little hand in the face. He gave his son a stern look and the little boy's dark eyes saddened, his bottom lip starting to quiver. 

"Cade," Leon began in a warning tone, "If you be naughty I'm going to have to smack you. Do you want that?"

The dark haired little child shook his head, sticking three of his fingers in his mouth.

"..no.." he mumbled around the digits, burying his head against Leon's shoulder.

Leon knocked on the eggshell white door then took a step back. He turned to look around the yard while he waited for someone to answer.

It had been a long time since he had been back to Miami. A very long time indeed, but nothing had changed. There was still an abundance of scantily clad beach goers, the sun still had that same bite as it had years earlier – Leon quickly checked over his small son to make sure he was properly protected from the suns rays.

"Are you hungry?" he asked the dark haired little boy. Chocolate eyes stared up at him, sparkling with intelligence. Cade was the image of his mother. The same dark hair and eyes, the same pixie like nose and the most adorable round cheeks he had ever seen. His skin was a shade or two lighter than Letty's had been, but Leon put that down to his genetic make up. The boy shook his head, laying back down against his father's shoulder. Leon watched him for a moment, the familiar nauseated feeling starting to grow heavier in his gut. It hurt to look at Cade and remember what he had, remember how it was. He never resented him for it though, Cade that is. The boy hadn't asked to be born, nor did he intend for his mother to die in the delivery room from complications. None of it was his fault. Leon knew it all rested on his own shoulders.

"Excuse me? Sir, may I help you?"

Leon jerked slightly, enraptured by watching his son. He turned toward the voice and saw the woman who had made such an impact on his life. A complete stranger who had seen the good in him and had helped him, no questions asked. She was his guardian angel, he was sure of it.

She was looking at him oddly. "Do I know you?" she asked after a moment, eyes flitting back and forth from him to the child in his eyes.

"Yes, Ma'am." He replied quietly, nodding his head. "Well you **did**."

Her eyes widened and her hand lifted to her mouth. "Oh my goodness – Leon? Is that you sweetie?"

He gave her a forced smile, one that no-one else knew was a fake. "Yeah."

The woman, Angeline, stepped forward and reached out to touch his head like a mother would their child. Much like she had the day she met him in the trauma centre at the local hospital while he was sitting alone getting all his stitches out. She peered down at Cade who was shyly hiding his face in the folds of Leon's light jacket. Angeline looked back to Leon's face.

"You've gotten so handsome." She told him, urging him inside. "I always knew you would be."

A slight blush stained his neck. "Thankyou." He replied softly.

Leon got to the door and kicked off his shoes, then carefully worked the tiny little boots Cade wore from his feet.

"If I put you down, will you be good for Daddy?"

The little boy nodded, fingers still in his mouth. His face was still hidden in Leon's jacket.

"Cade Ash Orello," he said sternly, "Answer the question. I _know _you."

"Be good." He said as solemnly as he could muster. Leon rolled his eyes at the doe eyed expression his son was giving him and set him down on the carpet just inside. He knelt down and looked up at Angeline watching with tears in her eyes. He wasn't quite sure whether they were tears or joy, pride, or sadness.

"Cade, this is daddy's friend, Mrs Monroe."

She knelt down so she was at eye level with the small boy. "Hello Cade."

He waved meekly, hiding his face in Leon's side.

She laughed, standing. "Come on you two – inside."

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Leon sat in the wrought iron garden chair, watching Cade play with some of the toy cars he had retrieved from the car for him. A cigarette was pinched in between his fingers, unlit, and the lighter sat on his thigh. 

"Where's his mother?"

Leon swallowed thickly, watching his son. "She died giving birth."

Angeline immediately wanted to kick herself for asking such a foolish question. It was obvious Leon was still in pain from losing the mother of his child. He sat a little straighter and turned to her.

"Did you ever get my letters? Presents?"

The older woman felt her eyes start to water at the thought of his gifts. He was always sending her little trinkets and knick knacks when he had first left Miami. It wasn't until about six months after that he started sending her paintings. She had been stunned to learn that he himself had created the beautiful works of art **for her**.

"Of course I did. I'm surprised you didn't recognise some of the pictures on the wall as you walked through."

Leon smiled dryly. "I was a little preoccupied watching the human wrecking ball over there." He lifted his chin in Cade's direction. She chuckled.

"Well they're all inside if you want to see them."

He nodded, picking up the discarded cigarette packet from the table to put the unlit cancer stick back in it.

"You've still got the photos? Of the starry woman?"

Angeline nodded. "They're in the study. Those are absolutely gorgeous, Leon."

A sad smile crept across his face. "They're breathtaking." He said to her, then called Cade over to him. As the little boy made his way toward them, Leon smiled lightly. It was the first genuine smile she had seen on his face since he arrived an hour earlier.

"He'll be two soon," he told her, "-and he's got a cousin, Rory, who's almost three."

She watched the little caramel boy step into Leon's outstretched arms, his outfit an almost identical match to his father's. Tan coloured boots, dark blue jeans and a black t-shirt. Instinct led her to believe that the boy had helped choose his own attire once he saw what dad was wearing.

"Could I show Cade those pictures?" he asked hesitantly.

"Of course you can! Follow me."

She led them down the hall to the study and stepped aside. It wasn't difficult to spot the pictures Leon was talking about. They were twelve square and block mounted. There was a woman depicted as the night sky, her entire body bathed in dark paint and patches of gold and silver, strategically draped velvet hiding any important parts from view. She was sitting side on, her head on her knees, eyes closed. Angeline watched Leon's hand lift to touch the glass covered picture, then he lifted Cade's small hand to do the same.

"Do you know who that is?"

The small boy looked from the picture to Leon, then back at the picture. Tears started to pool in his big brown eyes when he shook his head. Leon bounced him slightly on his hip, calming him.

"It's alright. Don't get upset." He soothed, kissing the top of his head. His fingers came up to drag across the glass once more. "That's your mommy." He said with a small smile.

Angeline could see the love in his eyes when he looked at the woman. It was blatantly obvious that she was the centre of his world for some time. One didn't create something so beautiful out of the image of another without having some serious feelings for them.

Cade looked at the picture, his hand following the exact path Leon's did. He giggled at the muted shriek their skin made against the glass.

"Mommy's beautiful, isn't she."

"Mommy's stars."

Leon nodded, his eyes glassy. "That's right. Mommy's in the stars now. She watches you sleep." He pressed a kiss to Cade's chubby cheek, nuzzling the baby soft skin.

Cade's hands tangled in Leon's hair, fisting large clumps of it. To Angeline it looked painful, but Leon showed no sign of discomfort. He noticed her look.

"He's got a hair thing." He explained simply. His eyes had cleared now and he looked almost nonchalant again.

Cade's hand slapped against the picture. "Go sleep?"

Leon looked at him, his brow furrowed. "You want a nap?"

In a move that was too old for him, Cade tried to roll his eyes and pointed to the picture.

"Mommy watches me sleep when there's stars." He said seriously. He touched the picture. "Mommy's wearing stars, so I sleep."

Leon looked at Angeline. "I.. Uh.."

She waved him after her. "Now that my older kids have moved out, Leon, we have some spare rooms. Do you have anywhere to stay?"

Leon flushed a dark shade of pink. "I hadn't thought that far ahead," he admitted.

"Then it's settled. You and Cade will stay here as long as you need to."

"Oh, Angie I couldn't impose on-"

She slapped her hand over his mouth to silence him, garnering some amused giggles from Cade.

She gave Leon her best 'I'm a mother so you will do as I say' glare. "You are staying young man. Understood?"

He nodded mutely. "Yes, Ma'am."

Cade tugged at Leon's shirt. "Say thankyou." He insisted in a loud whisper. Leon's eyes widened almost comically.

"Oh! Right," he nodded conspiringly. "Thanks." He whispered loudly, then made a show of turning to look at Angeline.

"Thankyou, Angie."

She laughed, running her hand over his hair. "You're more than welcome! It's just so good to see you again."

His lips lifted slightly, barely even a smile. "It's good to be back." _I hope._


	2. Lost and Found

**A/N: Thankyou to all my wonderful reviewers! Here's another chapter for you just for your efforts.**

**Ooh - something i just wanted to clear up. Brian will NOT be appearing in this fic, nor will any of the Miami team - this is a Leon fic, not a racing fic. Sorry to disappoint.**

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The sunlight filtered into the room, dancing across his bare arm and shoulder and warming him. He stretched. It wasn't long after Angeline had insisted that he and Cade stayed in her home for as long as need be that he had crashed out. He had made the trip from LA to Miami in five days and he was exhausted.

Leon sat up, looking around the bed for his son. Not seeing him, he looked down onto the floor, then under the bed. Cade had a habit of waking before he did and would hide under the bed to scare him when he got up. He blinked at the empty space.

"Cade?" he called, starting to get worried. The little boy was all he had now. Sure – there was Vince, Tala and Rory, but that wasn't the same. He threw the blankets back and dropped his feet to the floor, tugging the legs of his shorts down. They had ridden up during the night. Already having made it to the bedroom door, Leon stopped and sighed in relief. He could hear Angeline down the hall and Cade's childish giggles. He turned and went back over to the bed and grabbed up his cigarettes. After sleeping through from three in the afternoon the day before until ten in the morning, he needed one.

He had never smoked before Letty died, but afterwards he just needed something to occupy his hands. If he didn't do something with them he was likely to do himself harm.

He gave Angeline a wane smile as he stepped into the kitchen where she was sitting with Cade and two young girls. Both in their early teens.

"How are you this morning, sweetie?"

He lifted a shoulder, the movement smooth and languid. "I'm alright."

At the sound of his voice both girls looked up and in unison, dropped their forks. There was a metallic clatter and they both sat staring at him, wide eyed. Cade on the other hand threw himself at him. Right off the chair he'd been sitting on.

Leon bent to catch him mid air, dropping his cigarettes in the process. His lighter was held between his teeth.

"Don't do that!" he scolded lightly, his arms wrapped around the small boy. He snatched the lighter from his mouth and dropped it on the table, then buried his nose in Cade's neck. He smelled like vanilla scented soap and kids shampoo. Leon glanced over to Angeline. "Did you have a bath?" he asked Cade.

The little boy nodded, his hands running through Leon's hair, patting it down in the places it stuck up.

"Mrs Angie helpeded me." He said proudly. "She said daddy need sleep."

Leon cuddled him closer, sighing. Gently he set Cade back down on the floor and snatched up his smokes.

"That I did, little man." He leant across the bench to peck Angeline on the cheek, then made a vague motion to the sliding glass door that lead to the back yard. "I'll just – yeah." He picked up his lighter and gave the girls a tight smile, then edged past the table and stepped out into the sun.

Quickly lighting his cigarette, he took a drag and lowered himself into the chair on the patio, resting his elbows on his knees. He rubbed at his eyes with the heel of his palm and looked out over the yard.

It had been an almost impulsive move on his part to come back to Miami. He'd barely even considered the consequences before packing up him and Cade and leaving town. He'd quit his job, much to Marcus' chagrin, given Vince the keys to the firehouse and asked him to take care of his dog. He just needed to get away.

The door slid open and one of the girls from the table stepped out. She was pretty with blue eyes and long wheat blonde hair, held back in a high pony tail. She was wearing a pair of fitted sweats and a baby pink tank top with some kind of logo on it. She gave him a small smile, politely motioning to the chair across from him.

Leon quirked a brow and leaned back in his seat, nodding. "Go ahead."

"Thanks." She replied, sitting down. She stared at him for a moment. "Are you Leon?"

He nodded, holding his head back as he blew smoke out of his nose. The sun was warm against his face and body, yet he still felt cold inside. Still felt empty. Not even the love he felt for Cade could fill that void.

The girl cleared her throat and he blinked, lifting his head. When he saw her looking at him again he realised he was being rude. He gave her a mute look. She obviously wanted to say something so he was having difficulty understanding her silence.

"I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Bethany." Her hand went to her knee, remembering the day she had met Leon as a little girl in triage. She had been just five then. He'd looked broken then, now he just looked hollow. From the looks of things life had seriously kicked him in the ass.

Leon nodded. "I thought as much." He looked her up and down. Not in a perverted way, just taking in her appearance. "You haven't changed much."

Bethany smiled. "Neither have you – you've still got pretty eyes." She told him honestly. There wasn't even a hint of flirting in her tone. That surprised him. Generally all attractive teenaged girls thought every man was a prospective boyfriend.

He smirked, twisting his lighter in his hands. "Thanks."

"So what brings you back?"

Leon stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray Angie had put there for him the day before. "Needed some head room." He replied shortly. The hurt look that flashed across Bethany's face made him feel like shit. It had been a long time since he'd spoken so casually with a woman. He'd forgotten how fragile their feelings could be.

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry." He looked up. "I'm a prick."

Bethany cocked her head slightly. "I think you're just lost." She stood up and pat him on the shoulder as she walked by. "You'll find it."

He frowned at her – confused. "Find what?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. It. Whatever is it you need to find."

He watched her back as she stepped back inside and shook his head. Either she had the talent for knowing when to step back or she was just empathetic. Either way her words lit a fire beneath him.

He came to Miami to look for Jesse, not mope. Hell if he'd wanted to do that he would have stayed in LA.

He had to find Jesse.

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It had taken almost a week of phone calls before he even moved forward an inch in his search for Jesse's final resting place. Many, many hours of horrible hold music, of which he was sure Vince would have loved, and even more hours of bullshitting to the people on the other end of the phone. Finally he had gotten hold of someone who could give him some information. Leon wasn't quite sure how he managed it but he'd managed to track down Jesse's step mother through sheer dumb luck. 

The woman was a drunk and had tried to talk his ear off. Leon had played polite until she started telling him about an exploit involving the landlord, a candle and butter. That's when he reached his wits end. His skin crawled in disgust at the mere memory of that conversation.

"Fucking sick old bag.." he mumbled, climbing out of the car.

He had left Cade with Angeline for the time being. He had to do this alone the first time and he couldn't say what he needed to say while he was busy chasing Cade around the cemetery.

He looked at the small piece of paper in his hand. "Row Q.A., plot 36." He recited aloud, looking for the marker so he could start his search. Just ahead of him he saw a small wooden peg with the letters 'E.K.' on it and groaned.

"Not gunna make it easy for me, are you Jesse."

As he strolled along, glancing at the markers every now and then, he couldn't help but wonder just how he was going to react to actually being faced with Jesse's grave. He knew it was going to hurt – that it would be difficult, but at the same time it would be a weight off his shoulders. He would know that Jesse was safe and resting peacefully.

Leon looked across the cemetery, hundreds upon hundreds of headstones scanning the landscape. There were a few people loitering around visiting relatives, the care taker was mowing the grass all the way down the other end and there was a young woman sitting cross legged on a grave just up ahead of him.

He looked at the marker near his foot and stopped. Row 'Q.A'. He searched quickly for the plot number anywhere close, toeing the grass out of the way to reveal a small concrete square with the number thirty two on it. Silently counting ahead, Leon stopped at thirty six and frowned. The girl was sitting on Jesse's grave. His expression darkened and he started toward her.


	3. The Gemstone Baby

**A/N: Here you go people - more fic! Thankyou to all who read/reviewed and to the lovely Ms Fi for reading over this to make sure it made sense.**

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She was pale, almost impossibly so yet there were little to no freckles covering her skin like he'd expect of a red head. She was tall by the looks of it, probably around his height or a little shorter and her vibrant red hair was held back from her face by two transparent blue chopsticks with diamantes on the ends, her fringe long enough to hang in her eyes. Sparkling chandelier earrings hung from her earlobes, twinkling in the sun as they swung back and forth. Her slim wrists were adorned with numerous bracelets that tinkled every time she moved her hands and she wore three rings on her right hand. All plain silver but filigreed and eye catching. Her skirt pooled around her on the concrete slab, a gauzy mass of blacks, paisleys and dusty pinks. Her top was a simple white tank and Leon couldn't help noticing just how well she filled it out. He mentally berated himself for looking. His eyes were drawn to a pendant around her neck. It looked to be a butterfly carved out of jade suspended on a leather thong and it rested just against the swell of her cleavage. She was an artists wet dream. There were so many things to look at on her, so many tiny details to take in all at once that his mind raced. As he got closer he could see her feet, bare and peeking out from beneath her skirt, her toe nails painted an iridescent shade of pink.

She had a note pad on her thighs and her ringed fingers loosely held a pen, writing something on the paper as she spoke to herself.

Leon looked around to see who she was talking to and frowned. There was nobody else around. He sighed. Not only was she sitting on top of Jesse's grave, his destination, she was nuts.

"What are you doing?"

The girl jumped, then pen flying out of her hand. It bounced a few times across the concrete and skidded off the edge into the grass. She ignored it, her hand over her eyes to shield them from the sun as she looked up at him.

"I was doodling." She turned to look for her pen but held up the note pad. "See?"

Leon quirked his eyebrow but took the pad from her. There were flowers, hearts and stars all over the paper in purple ink. Occasionally there was a word scrawled out in amongst all the scribble, but aside from that it was exactly what she'd said it was. Doodling.

He held the note pad out to her and shook his head. "Lovely. Really." He mocked, "But I meant what the fuck are you doing sitting here?"

She glared up at him. "I have every right to sit here!"

Leon took a threatening step forward. "Not when you're sitting on my brother's grave, you don't! Now what the fuck are you doing?"

She blinked up at him, stunned. "Brother? Jesse didn't have any-" she paused, squinting at him. "Leon? Leon Orello?"

He flinched. He didn't know who the hell she was yet she knew him somehow.

"Who are you?" He knew he sounded defensive but he was uncomfortable with her knowing his name when he had no inkling as to her identity.

Brilliant green eyes smiled up at him brightly. She climbed to her feet, excited.

"It's me, Ruby. Ruby Garrison. We were in the home together for a while."

Leon looked at her, studying her features. The beauty in front of him did indeed resemble the small girl he'd known once. He was shocked that she remembered him. He was only in that group home for two weeks before he took off to LA.

"Oh," he mumbled lamely, "Uh – how are you?"

She bounced on her toes, hopping down onto the grass to stand in front of him. Long slender arms reached out and gathered him into a hug.

"I'm good! Let me look at you." She took a step back and looked him up and down, then her glossy pink lips broke into a wide smile. "You're looking wonderful, Le. How are you, precious?"

He let her pull him down to sit beside her on top of Jesse's grave. Leon ran his hand across the smooth surface and looked at the headstone. 'Jesse Stephen Ashcroft' it read, then had his date of birth and death beneath it. Leon was almost expecting there to be a reference to him being the mad scientist on there too, but obviously the person who had buried him was unaware of the title.

He blinked away tears, flinching when he felt Ruby's hand on his back.

"I didn't see you at the funeral." She said softly, her persona more subdued now. She seemed to realise this was incredibly difficult for him.

Leon stayed rigid beneath her touch. It felt odd to have someone so openly affectionate that wasn't his son touching him. He'd pushed both Vince and Tala away from him over the past couple of years so much that they didn't even try to touch him any more.

"I didn't know he'd died until a week after," he murmured, long fingers tracing the gold lettering on the grey marble headstone. Whoever had lain him to rest had wanted the best for him. Leon turned to look at Ruby. "You were there? At the funeral?"

She nodded. "I cried." She admitted, "A lot."

Leon smiled. Before he had been placed in the group home after social services got hold of him, both Jesse and Ruby had been there for some months together. They had known each other before he had even come onto the scene. A sadness settled over him.

"There weren't many people here, were there.."

She shook her head. "Only a few. Some family, Mrs Johns, me.."

He nodded. "At least he had one friend here for him." He let his fingers drop away from the writing. He stared at his lap for a while, grateful for Ruby's silence. Her hand crept into view and her ringed fingers looped around his, her thumb brushing his knuckles.

Leon touched the bracelets curiously. "Why all the scrap metal?" he asked.

Ruby snorted with laughter, making him look at her oddly. She was the first woman he met to snort like that and not look overly embarrassed.

"Well that was ladylike."

She grinned, looking at their still entwined fingers. She was pleased he hadn't pulled away. He was projecting a lot of sadness and the urge to just hug him until it all felt better was almost too strong to ignore.

"I try." She quipped. She shook her wrist, making the bracelets jingle. "I thought they were pretty." She explained easily. "I like pretty things."

His expression softened and he brought his hand up to touch her earring. "I can tell."

Ruby smiled. "Not half obvious, huh?"

Leon shrugged. "It's alright to like pretty things. I can appreciate that." He looked back at the headstone behind him and fought a wave of pain. It had taken him so long to track down Jesse's whereabouts and here he was. He wasn't about to break down and cry like a baby while Ruby was there though, so he shoved it down, just like he did with everything else.

Ruby gave him a long, studious look then stood up.

Leon watched her push her feet into a pair of rhinestone studded flip flops and cocked his head. She really did like her sparkles.

"Where are you going?"

"I have work in about an hour, precious." She lied smoothly, bending to shove her note pad and pen into a messenger bag that had been laying hidden by the edge of the grave.

Leon sat up in interest. "Where do you work?"

She slung the bag over her shoulder and motioned for him to stand, wriggling her fingers at him. "I'm an apprentice massage therapist at the day spa in town. Very exciting."

He hesitantly enfolded her in a hug. The scent of lilac tickled his nose and he drew back from the hug, rubbing his nose.

Ruby laughed, patting his cheek. "So sorry about that."

He waved her apology off. "It's nice – just different."

She still had hold of one of his hands. "We have to get together one time – catch up. When it's more convenient for you."

Leon frowned, then realised she was leaving to give him some time with Jesse. He was grateful for her discretion.

"I – Well here's the thing.."

Ruby nodded. "Go ahead.."

"I've got a son. An almost two year old."

Ruby's face lit up. "That's wonderful, Leon! Congratulations!" She pecked him on the cheek and dug into her bag for her pen. Whipping it out she pushed the sleeve of his shirt up to his elbow.

"Whenever you feel like meeting up, just to chat or hang out or something, you give me a bell. Your little boy can come along too if you like."

Leon gaped, flabbergasted. He was expecting her to run away screaming at the mention of a child. That's what he thought people did. He didn't have many friends that cared much for Cade. Hell, he didn't have many friends full stop.

"He'll like that I think." He said after a moment. Absently, he added "His name is Cade."

Ruby grinned as she scrawled her number on his arm in metallic purple ink. "That means 'pure' you know." She stated matter of factly. "Or barrel. It depends on what origin you decided on."

"You're a little nuts," he smirked, unable to help himself, "- you know that right?"

Ruby shrugged, not bothering to recap the pen before she threw it back in her bag. "Them's the breaks." She leaned forward to peck him on the cheek, her hand on his shoulder as she did so. "You take care, precious."

He nodded. "Yeah – you too, Ruby."

She shivered, grinning. "Oh now that's sexy. Can you say 'be gone you sexy little gem baby' now?"

A bark of shocked laughter escaped him before he realised it. "Be gone you sexy little gem baby on crack."

Her jaw dropped in shock. "Hey! That was adlibbed!" She shoved him slightly, pushing past him. "Call me a gem baby on crack.." she muttered.

"Bye Ruby." He called after her.

She spun on her heel, her skirt fanning out in the air with the movement. "Bye Leon!" She called back, smiling.

He watched her go, shaking his head. "That girl's nuts, Jess." He mumbled, sitting back down. He touched the smooth surface of the headstone again. "Sorry it took me so long to get here."


	4. Lessons

**A/N: So here I am updating again - aren't you all lucky devils. Anywho! Being absent minded, as I am, I forgot to reply to a question asked by someone back when they reviewed chapter two. Cade is pronounced "Cay-d" .. as in 'made'. But with a 'C'. Make sense? Good. On with the update!**

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**Leon couldn't help but smile as Cade clung to his neck, the warm ocean water lapping at his waist. 

"Daddy!"

He pried Cade's fingers loose and managed to move him away from his body. "Come on now, it's alright. I've got you." He held him a little ways away from him, the little boys legs kicking wildly. He'd never been in the ocean before, nor had he ever been swimming. That was why Leon had taken him to the ocean baths instead of the beach itself. So he could teach him to swim. He had a lot of free time on his hands now he was jobless and he figured he would do something productive with his time.

Cade was crying and clinging to Leon's arms, struggling to get back to his father.

Leon sighed. "Cade, I will drop you."

"No!" the child screamed, wriggling even more. Leon tightened his grip slightly, not enough to hurt him, just enough to keep a good hold on him.

"If you keep struggling I **am** going to drop you, Cade! Now stop being silly and calm down! You know I wouldn't let anything happen to you!"

He winced as Cade's short fingernails dug into his forearms. He was starting to get irritated now. Taking a deep breath, he drew him back to his chest. Immediately the little boy latched on tightly and squeezed his arms around his neck. His tears were hot against Leon's skin and a heavy guilty feeling washed over him. He started for the edge of the pool, wading through the clear blue water. Small guppies darted around his feet and he squirmed. That was the only thing he hated about the beach. The fish. Ok, two things. The fish and the sea weed.

"Having trouble?"

Leon looked up as he neared the edge and saw Ruby standing there. She wore her hair in braids on either side of her head and the straps of a blue halter bikini top peeked out from underneath a gauzy white peasant top. One hand was holding the strap of her bag and the other was held over her eyes. Strangely her sunglasses sat on top of her head instead of over her eyes.

He gave her a tired smile. "First time at the beach."

Ruby grinned. "Aww – you don't like it, baby doll?" she knelt at the side of the pools, her cutoffs creeping a little higher on her thighs. Leon looked away. He couldn't help but feel guilty every time he looked at a woman. It was betraying Letty. Even if Ruby was only a friend, it was still wrong.

Cade snuggled against Leon, trembling. "..No." he mumbled. He was fine in the water until he was held away from something secure – in this case Leon's chest. Ruby's hand ghosted over the top of his damp head.

"Would you like it if I got in with you and daddy?" she asked. "See my bathing suit?" she lifted her shirt so Cade could see her bikini top, "This is a magic bathing suit. If you stay near me you cant drown."

His big brown eyes widened in awe. "In the water?" he asked her.

Ruby nodded, smiling brilliantly at him. "In the water. So how's about I come in there too?"

Cade looked at Leon. "Can she?"

Leon looked at Cade, then at the waiting Ruby. He sighed. "If that's going to keep you happy – sure she can."

Both Cade and Ruby clapped their hands. Ruby hopped up and started walking backward toward the covered tables and chairs.

"Could you give me a hand with my back, gorgeous?"

Leon nodded silently and walked out of the pool, Cade still clinging to him. Once he was on dry land the little boy fought to get down. As soon as his feet hit the hot concrete he took off running towards Ruby, giggling.

Leon followed at a more sedate pace, watching to make sure Cade didn't fall in his haste to get to her. Cade was busy chattering to her by the time he got to them, his little legs swinging back and forth off the edge of the bench.

"Wha's your name?"

Ruby shucked out of her cutoffs and stepped out of them. Picking them up to fold them, she set them down on the bench beside Cade and her bag.

"My name is Ruby. What's yours, honey?"

He was gazing at her bikini in wonder. The electric blue was swirled with greens and white in a tie dye pattern. When he didn't answer, Leon did for him.

"His name is Cade, and he's a rude little snot."

"M'not a snot!"

Leon folded his arms. "Are too."

Ruby grinned, lathering on her sun screen. Being so pale she had to use a lot of it and frequently to prevent burning or excessive amounts of freckles. So far she had managed to escape being burned too bad. As she watched Leon and Cade bicker she could see how much Leon loved his son and vice versa. Absently she wondered where the mother was in all this.

She held the tube out to Leon and turned around, pulling her braids to the front and tugging the ties across her back undone. Her arm held her top in place across the front. She saw Leon's tanned arm sneak past her and wipe his hands on a towel, then she felt the cold sensation of the sun screen streak across her back.

"Thankyou for helping out." He said over her shoulder, rubbing the cream all over her back. Her shoulders rolled forward slightly so he could get an even coverage.

"It's nothing, Le. He looked terrified in there." She beamed at Cade. "I just couldn't let a gorgeous man like yourself be all scared like that."

She very nearly moaned at the feel of Leon's callused hands rubbing her back, but she bit down on her tongue and kept her cool. She couldn't help but notice his touch was a bit off, like he wasn't comfortable putting his hands on her. He had been a total gentleman when he was younger, so she figured he must still be the same.

The tube dropped down on the table and she giggled when she felt his fingers rubbing some of the lotion onto her ears.

"Sun burned ears suck." He explained simply.

Cade pointed at her bathing suit. "Why do you wear them? Why no shorts?"

"Cade."

Ruby laughed, waving Leon's objection off. "Because I'm a girl, honey. Girl's wear different things to swim in."

The little boy nodded, pretending he understood. "Is very pretty."

She almost melted at his sweet, sincere tone. "Thankyou baby." She looked down suddenly, feeling Leon's fingers brush at her sides just near her breasts, then she felt the ties being re-fastened across her back.

He stepped back. "All done."

Ruby spun around to face him. "Thankyou!" she pulled her sunglasses down and held her hand out to Cade. "Shall we?"

The little boy's face went from confident to frightened in a second. He gave her a shaky nod and held his arms out. "Swim.." he said hesitantly. Once he was on the ground again he took Leon's hand in one hand and Ruby's in the other.

Leon watched Ruby climb into the pool first, then hold her hands out to Cade.

"Come on, sweetie." She called, carefully holding onto him as he slid into the water. He was quiet now – not a peep out of him. He even had a little smile on his face.

Leon scowled and stepped off the edge, dropping into the water. "Traitor."

Ruby was already in the middle of the pool by the time he reached them and Cade was still clinging to her. As soon as Leon got close enough, Ruby turned him in her arms and slowly edged him away from her.

"Alright, Cade. I want you to kick your legs for me alright? That's it, good boy!" She smiled at Leon who was waiting anxiously, "Now I want you to go to Daddy."

Cade immediately started to whimper. "Daddy – here!"

Leon held his hands out, but didn't step closer. If Cade wanted him bad enough he would have to make it across the small gap between them.

"Come on, kiddo." He said softly. He realised he was being a little hard on him. After all, he probably did the same thing to his parents when he was little. It had to be daunting for him. "It's alright." Leon reassured him, seeing the tears in his eyes. He stepped a little closer.

Ruby watched Leon's face transform with the tender expression he took on, the love on his face as Cade clamoured into his arms as soon as he was near enough. It warmed her heart to see a parent who cared for their child so much. After growing up being bounced from group home to group home, no real parental guidance in her life at all, it was nice to see one who actually cared. She waded closer to them and planted a chaste kiss on Cade's head.

"See, now that wasn't so bad was it?"

He shook his head. "Didn't drown."

Leon chuckled. "That was because Miss Ruby's bikini saved you." He told him, flicking some water at him. Cade spluttered and glared indignantly at his father.

Ruby grinned. "How about next time we come swimming I wear a different bathing suit and we see if you can still do it?"

Cade nodded at her, enthused. Leon quirked a brow. "Next time?"

"Well of course next time – I can't exactly change them right now can I? That would be indecent exposure," she got a thoughtful look on her face, "-again."

Leon stared at her. "I don't think I want to know."

"You have no sense of adventure, Leon."

He scoffed, holding Cade out in front of him. The little boy splashed about, his fear practically non existent now. "I have a sense of adventure – I just choose to remain clothed in public."

"It's a boring life you lead, Mr. Orello." She tutted. "Boring."

He looked at her then hooked his leg around hers and knocked her off balance, his face the picture of innocence as she suddenly dropped beneath the waters surface.

"Oops."

Cade looked down at her from his perch on Leon's shoulder. "Wha' happened?"

Leon shrugged. "I think she slipped." He replied lightly as she surfaced, spluttering.

"You big shit!" she shouted, wiping the water from her eyes with one hand.

Leon smirked. "Now, now – no swearing in front of the kids."

Ruby grinned and stepped toward him, then, without warning her hand shot out and stuffed something down the front of his pants. Leon howled and pretty much tossed Cade at her.

Cade watched his father jumping around and swearing for a moment, leaning his head against Ruby's cheek.

"Wha's he doin?"

"He's trying to get the fish out of his pants that I just put there." She replied easily. She turned away from the scene and lowered Cade back into the water. "Ok, sweetie. Take a biiiig breath and hold it."

He looked at her, splashing his hands and feet. "Why?"

"Cause," she grinned at the sound of Leon's muttered swearing, "I'm going to dunk you."


	5. Avoiding The Past

**A/N: Just a quick thankyou to those who reviewed and my eternal gratitude to Ms Fi for making sure this story makes sense - thankyou gorgeous. On with the update then..**

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**Leon adjusted the towel around his waist and shifted, then reached over Cade's head to tear open the potato chip packet for him. Instantly his hands were pushed out of the way by enthusiastic little fingers. Leon completely understood. He was always starving himself after swimming. 

Cade stuffed his mouth full of food and looked up at his daddy. " -'ere's 'uby?"

Leon looked around, seeing if he could spot the eccentric young woman. She had met them everyday for the past two weeks to give Cade swimming lessons and in the process, Cade had grown rather attached. Not one to admit it – so had Leon. He couldn't see her anywhere. Glancing at his watch, he noted it was nearing three in the afternoon.

"I'm not sure," his brow furrowed. She would have called him if she was working. "Maybe she's not feeling well and decided not to come?"

He'd barely even finished his sentence when a bright flurry of colours appeared around the corner. She was barefoot and carrying her bag, this time in a bright green bikini and a long white skirt, tiered with sections of gold and sky blue chiffon. He smiled. She was always wearing skirts that were a touch too long so the bottom would drag on the ground as she walked. Well, she usually walked. This time she was running. Her jewellery sparkled in the afternoon sun and her face was pink.

"I'm sorry I'm late! I had to walk half way and I forgot my phone and I kicked my toe on the gutter and It hurt!"

Cade was immediately concerned about her poor toe, but Leon was more concerned with her walking there.

"What happened to your car?"

She huffed and dropped onto the bench beside him, helping herself to his plate of fries.

"It died." She mumbled around the food, "Choked, made a scary sound and died."

He frowned. "Well what was wrong with it?"

She blinked at him. "It died."

Cade piped in from beside him. "Daddy's a 'chanic."

"Really?" She turned to look at Leon who was suddenly extremely interested in his plate of fries. "You're a mechanic? You never told me that."

He picked up a fry, popping into his mouth. "I'm a painter. I do mechanics when I have no jobs." He slapped her hand as it went to snatch another fry. "Don't do that!"

Ruby pouted, holding the abused hand to her chest. "That's abuse! I'm reporting you for abuse."

He shrugged. "You do that."

Ruby glared at him for a moment then shrugged. She stood up and took her purse from her bag.

"Come for a walk to get me some grub, Cade?" she held her hand out to him. She raised her eyebrow at Leon. "Would you like to come too, precious?"

He shook his head and lay it down on his arms. "I'll wait here."

"Suit yourself – don't talk to strangers."

Leon snorted, closing his eyes. "Yes, mother." His eyes cracked open when he heard their feet slapping on the concrete, walking away. He watched Ruby talking to Cade as they walked, his little hand firmly held in hers. He was getting along so well with Ruby now – opening up and at times even wanting to call and talk to her before bed. He was growing up so fast. Leon could still remember the day the doctors told him he could bring him home with him. Everything had been so scary – so new. But he'd managed. Even without any help – lord knows he had offers left, right and centre – he had done it alone. It felt odd to be sharing his little boy's attention now.

"Excuse me? Hey! Hey you – your phone is ringing!"

Leon blinked, glancing toward the teen who had called out to him then at his phone.

"Thanks." He mumbled, picking up the small silver phone. He looked at the display and stared for a moment. 'Vince' the blue lit screen read. He let it ring for a while longer and then finally it stopped. He knew sooner or later Vince was going to get tired of him ignoring his calls, after all he had said he would call every now and then and as yet he was yet to talk to Vince while he was in Miami. His face ached at the memory of Vince's left hook. He just knew he would become familiar with it again soon if he didn't at least call once. Still – he would try to avoid it as long as possible. _Rory's birthday_, he thought, _I'll call for Rory's birthday._

The phone beeped in his hand, telling him he had yet another voicemail. That bumped the grand total up to fifty seven in the past two weeks. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Vince was really going to knock him down when he saw him.

A hand slid across his shoulder and he jumped, spinning around, his heart in his throat. Ruby stepped back, holding her hands up in the air. Leon blinked rapidly, trying to calm himself. Had he been so deep in thought he hadn't heard them return? The scent of chicken wafted toward his nostrils and he looked at the table. She had put her food down right next to him, then touched him.

"Shit." He muttered, rubbing his face.

"Leon how long since you've slept?" She asked, her hands moving back to his shoulders. She sounded concerned.

He grunted, tensing at her touch. He honestly didn't remember the answer to that. "Couple of days." He lied. Reluctantly he started to relax under her ministrations, her hands rubbing and kneading at the sore, stiff muscles. An involuntary moan slipped from his mouth and he tensed again. He lifted a hand to stop her, gently easing her away from him.

"I'll be fine."

Ruby looked at him, then slowly nodded. "Alright." She sat down beside him and looked at her food, quiet. Leon watched her out of the corner of his eye and caught Cade glaring at him.

"What!"

Cade snuggled into Ruby's side. "Upset Ruby."

She stroked his head, not looking at Leon. "No, no it's ok, sweetie. If daddy doesn't want me to touch him I wont."

Leon swallowed thickly at her quiet response. The Ruby he had gotten to know over the past couple of weeks was rarely that quiet. He'd hurt her feelings.

"Shit," he swore softly, tentatively putting his hand on her back. "I'm sorry, Rubes.." When she didn't reply he sighed and dropped his hand.

Cade wasn't glaring any more. He knew his daddy had said sorry. "We go swim now?"

Leon looked at Ruby for a moment. "Ruby?"

She turned to him and smiled. "I'll be in once I finish this, precious." She motioned to her chicken. "Give me about ten minutes."

"Do you want us to wait?"

"No," she gave Cade an adoring smile, "-little man here wants to swim. I'll be out there with you soon."

Leon helped Cade down from the bench and nudged him ahead of him. He went to comment on her silence, noting she was doing just what he always did, then thought better of it. He hated it when someone psychoanalysed him so he knew she wouldn't like it either.

He tried again. "Are – are you angry at me?"

Concern flooded her features. "Of course I'm not! What makes you think that?"

"Nothing." Leon started after Cade. "Forget it."


	6. Vanilla's Sleep

**A/N: Is it just me, or is everyone else finding the hit counters disheartening? Oh well, anyway - This chapter is for my gorgeous turtle dove, just because i feel like dedicating it to you. Thankyou for your continued encouragement with this fic hun.**

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**Leon rifled through his pockets. His head was aching, his hands shook and he was in desperate need of a cigarette. 

Ruby was inside putting Cade down to bed after his big afternoon at the beach. She seemed to have gotten over being upset with him now, maybe even understood somewhat thanks to a comment made by Cade. They were on their way back to the car around dusk when the first stars had started to appear in the sky. Leon had been so caught up in his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed at first, not until Cade tugged on the leg of his shorts and told him to say goodnight to mommy. That it was time for bed.

His heart had dropped into his stomach at the sudden dawning look Ruby got on her face. He was fully expecting her to say something to him but instead she leaned down, picked up Cade then quietly told him she would help him say a special goodnight when he got home. Home was her house for the night – It had already been agreed to before all was said and done. The little boy had been quiet after that and so had Ruby.

He finally found his lighter and managed to light his cigarette, his hands shaking the whole time. Kicking off his shoes, he sat on the top step of the porch and dropped his head into his hand.

It was with great reluctance that he had decided to stay the night at Ruby's house. It was a small place right on the beach. Three bedrooms, one and a half bathrooms and a big assed enclosed front porch. Ruby said she usually slept there when it got too hot to sleep inside. He could hear the rush of the ocean, just down the hill through the brush and the air smelled of salt. It was beautiful there. He had no idea why she insisted on going to the ocean baths when she could just walk down the hill and be on the beach.

He wasn't sure why he had reservations about staying over at her place. He used to crash anywhere he fell down while he was living with the team, but that may have been because he wanted to avoid seeing Letty with Dom.

That had all changed. He'd gotten her – eventually – then, he lost her.

He could hear the beaded curtain that hung across her front door jingle and he swallowed his grief. Slowly he turned his head to look back at her over his shoulder.

Ruby's red, red hair hung in waves down over her shoulders, a result of swimming in the sea, and she was wearing a light blue shift that came to mid thigh. Leon could see even in the dim that she was a little pink across her cheeks and shoulders. He lifted a brow slightly and spoke, cigarette still pinched between his lips.

"You got sun burned."

She waved it off. "It's not too bad at all. I put some cocoa butter on it."

Leon frowned. "Is that that stuff that smells like food?" he sniffed the air, trying to see if he could detect the smell of cake. All he could smell was salt and cigarette smoke.

Ruby grinned and nodded. "It always makes me hungry – I drove an hour and a half for a cookie one night because I'd put some of that on." She gave him a thoughtful, faraway look. "How long has it **really** been since you slept?" she asked suddenly.

Leon puffed on his smoke and shrugged. "Can't remember. Days – a week maybe."

Her face turned incredulous. "Have you been napping?"

"No, mommy, I have **not** been napping." He spat sarcastically. He stubbed out the remainder of his cigarette and reached for another one.

"Let me give you a massage."

He froze, the new cancer stick halfway out of the packet. He quirked a brow at her. She was always doing that. Just when he though she was going to be quiet she would spit something out. Most of the time it was random little facts that nobody in their right mind would care about – yet she seemed to know a ridiculously large amount of them.

"I'm sorry?" he asked after a while.

Ruby hopped to her feet and walked over, tugging on his arm. "You need sleep, Leon. I know you don't like me touching you, but it'll really help I swear. You'll feel like a new man." She promised.

He groaned, clamouring to his feet. "Ruby.." he gave a long suffering sigh and allowed her to lead him inside and into the living room by the arm. He stood rigidly, watching her go through a black gym bag.

"Ruby – I don't know about this."

She turned to face him, a bottle with an amber coloured oil in it in her hand. "If you really don't want me to, then I wont Leon." She threw the bottle down on the couch and took his hand. That seemed to be the only form of comfort he could tolerate.

"I'm worried about you is all – you're not sleeping, you're jumpy, you're getting headaches – don't look at me like that, I've noticed!"

He looked at their entwined fingers and gave a long suffering sigh. "Where do you want me then?"

Ruby gave him a warm smile and pointed toward her bedroom. "You can stretch out on the bed in case you fall asleep." As he started toward the bedroom, "Oh! Do you prefer vanilla or peppermint?"

He screwed his nose up. "Neither really – but vanilla would be the lesser of two evils."

"Ok – go lay down and take your clothes off."

"I'm sorry – clothes?" he laughed slightly. "I'm **_not_** getting naked."

She looked unaffected and went about gathering some towels. "Alright. To your boxers then." She glanced at him. "Quick! Don't make me cut them off you!"

Leon shook his head, resigned and shuffled down the hall to her room. He'd been in there earlier to change out of his trunks. "What the hell was I thinking?"

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Ruby couldn't believe just how knotted some of his muscles were. Not only would they be making him grumpy – he had to be aching all over. When she'd first sat on the backs of his thighs he had been so tense that it was like touching a block of ice. Your hands would slide over the top easy enough, but there was absolutely no give underneath the surface whatsoever. It had taken almost a half an hour of kneading to loosen up the bunched and knotted muscles at the base of his neck. 

He groaned into the pillow, long ago given up keeping quiet. It hurt, but at the same time made all his limbs feel heavy and weighed down. Better.

Ruby smiled softly, pleased that he was more relaxed now than he had been the entire time they'd been getting together for Cade's lessons. "Feel better?" she asked him softly.

Leon nodded, his eyes drooping shut. "Tired."

"Don't stay awake for me, precious. Go to sleep if you need to." Her hands swept down his spine in long soothing strokes, arcing out around his lower back, then up his sides.

He mumbled something unintelligible into the covers, then turned his head and nestled down, eyes lazily closed.

Ruby leant forward from her perch on his thighs and swept her hand across his shoulders, then up the back of his neck. Her hair brushed the oiled skin on his shoulder with the movement and she heard him sigh.

Judging from what Cade had told her when she'd put him to bed earlier his mother had died while he was just a baby – very nearly two years ago. Leon was still grieving for her, that much was obvious now that she kind of knew what the hell was going on. He was still fragile inside and unwilling to let anyone in.

Her hand swept the longish strands of light brown hair back behind his ear and she brushed a kiss across his brow.

"Sleep sweet, precious."

He murmured in his sleep and rolled slightly, forcing Ruby up onto her knees. She lifted her leg back over him and started to back off the bed.

Leon sighed, his eye cracking open. Ruby winced.

"I'm sorry, Le. I didn't mean to wake you." She apologised quietly, stroking his hair. He blinked sluggishly and touched her hand.

"Stay?"

His almost inaudible request destroyed all intentions Ruby had of sleeping out on the porch in her hammock and she crawled back up beside him. Laying on her back, she was surprised when he draped his arm across her chest and lay against her shoulder. Still slick hands came up to knead the muscles in his bicep and forearm and she pressed a kiss to his temple. She was the only friend aside from the family he was staying with that he had in Miami. There was no way she'd deny him anything. She just couldn't see him suffer any more.


	7. Plastic Pancakes

**A/N: Here you go - new chapter. Thankyou to everyone who's reviewed, you're all gems.**

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Ruby was dancing around the kitchen in a pair of chocolate brown slacks and a hot pink satin bra, singing into a spatula as she spun in circles. Cade was sitting at the table giggling at her antics and clapping, bouncing in his chair himself. His dad wasn't like this in the mornings so it was unusual to see – he loved it. 

Ruby flopped into the chair across from him, resting her chin in her hand as she sung to him.

" – _and then we kiss and kiss and kiss, and then we kiss some more. Who cares how many times we kiss, at times like these, who keeps score?_"

She bounded to her feet again, twirling her hips in circles as she moved across the floor.

The drier rattled slightly in the laundry – just off to the left of the kitchen –and music blared through the small sea side house.

She laughed and scooped Cade up into her arms, spinning around with him. "Sing with me, handsome!"

He squealed with laughter as she tickled him then set him back on the chair, darting back over to the stove.

Cade wasn't entirely sure what was wrong with the strange lady his dad had befriended, or rather had befriended his dad, but he knew he liked her. She made him laugh and as much as he tried to hide it, she made Leon smile too. As long as his daddy was getting better – she was alright by him.

"What the fuck.."

Ruby spun on her heel and waved good morning to a rumpled looking Leon. He was rubbing his eyes tiredly, his movements slow and jerky. He gave her a bemused look then quickly looked away seeing her state of undress.

She grinned – the music had changed to Marvin Gaye now and she could see Cade's little feet tapping to the beat. _Well what do you know – the kid likes soul. _

"Good morning, Leon! Hungry?"

She shimmed across to the table and set a plate of small pancakes down in front of Cade, pecked Leon on the cheek and skipped back over to the stove.

He grunted. "Jesus," shaking his head he started out the back door after giving Cade a hug and kiss good morning, "- I need a cigarette."

Ruby watched the back door swing shut and sighed, turning to Cade. "Is he always such a morning person?"

He nodded. "Grumpy." He said solemnly. He tore at his pancakes not even five seconds later, his mood forgotten as he got syrup all over himself.

Ruby grinned and plopped the syrup bottle down on the table in front of him. "Will you be alright making a mess while I go and talk to Daddy?"

His cheeks were all puffed out, stuffed full of food. "'es miff 'uby."

She kissed him on top of the head. "Atta boy – knock yourself out."

Walking out the back she saw Leon sitting at the edge of the patio, his legs crossed up beneath him, shoulders slumped. Quietly she walked up behind him and knelt behind him, her hands moving to rub his shoulders. He had to be hurting after that massage the night before. He'd been tense for so long that his muscles would be rebelling against him, causing a fair amount of discomfort.

His head fell forward – he didn't pull away or flinch this time.

"New man, my ass." He mumbled. "I feel like I've been hit by a truck."

Ruby grinned, digging her thumbs into his neck. He winced, but didn't complain.

"You need a hot, hot shower – as hot as you can stand it – and maybe a swim. That'll loosen you right up."

He glanced back at her, his brows furrowed. "I would never have let you do it if I'd known."

She nodded brightly. "I know! That's why I didn't tell you." She dropped her hands away from him and stood back up. "Hungry, precious?"

"Why do you call me that?"

She looked thoughtful, trying not to laugh when she noticed he wouldn't look directly at her. She hadn't bothered to put her shirt on before wandering out after him – no neighbours therefore no point.

"Well – I suppose I could call you pumpkin, or petal.." her eyes lit up, "Or pudding!"

Leon snorted and made a sound that sounded suspiciously like laughter. "Precious is fine."

She clapped her hands together. "So – hungry?"

He inhaled, glancing toward the back door. "Not if that smell is any indication of your cooking."

Ruby frowned and sniffed the air. There was a horrible burnt molasses smell coming from the house.

"What the-?" she quirked a brow, her eyes suddenly widening. "Oh shit!" She ran back inside and looked at the table, fully expecting to see Cade sitting there eating and making a mess. When he wasn't there she turned and spotted him in front of the stove standing a little ways away so he wouldn't burn himself… Shaking the syrup bottle up and down with the lid all the way off. Somehow he had managed to get the screw top off and instead of just a small hole for the sticky substance to come out of, there was a great big one. It was flinging all over the place in huge globs landing on everything – the stove top included.

Ruby stifled a laugh, unable to be angry at him.

"Cade!" she shouted through her giggles, startling the boy. The bottle flew from his hands and landed in the frying pan and he jumped, his eyes wide. His face was covered in syrup.

"Daddy made me do it!"

Well that did her. Ruby erupted into a fit of laughter, leaning against the bench for support. She heard the back door creak open then Leon's shocked cursing and laughed even harder. She slid to the floor holding her sides.

A foot nudged her side. "Are you done?" came Leon's amused voice. She could actually hear the smile in his voice.

She held her hand up, signalling for a minute when she let rip with a loud snort and collapsed against the floor again.

Leon looked down at her sprawled on the tiles and shook his head – trying not to chuckle at her exuberant laughter and the occasional pig-like snort. He bent down and slid his hands around her waist.

"Come on," he muttered, grunting as he lifted her up, "-off the floor." Once he had her vertical he reached around and pushed her hair out of her face. It had been smooth and sleekly styled, her side part perfect with some cute little pins holding it in place. That was before she succumbed to her laughter. Now it hung in her face and looked a riot.

"Cade," he looked at his syrup covered son, "-go and get undressed, kiddo. We're having a shower."

He carried Ruby out into the living room and dumped her on the couch. He looked down at her and shook his head.

"Calm down, woman."

She nodded weakly, "I'm calm… Calm." She took a deep breath and waved her hand in front of her face. One look at Leon's bemused expression and she burst into laughter again. She could feel her cheeks heating as they turned red.

"Uh huh – calm." He rolled his eyes and turned, "We'll be in the shower. Gotta get all that crap off Cade."

Ruby lifted her hand and weakly saluted his back, still giggling as he closed the bathroom door, still shaking his head.

"Woman's on crack – I swear."

Back on the couch, Ruby was now substantially calmer, fanning her face with a stack of old mail she hadn't bothered throwing away yet. She brushed the legs of her pants off as she slowly stood up, then caught sight of her hair in the mirror across the room.

"Ew." She mumbled dryly, carefully removing all the pins and clips. A few minutes later all was good again, her hair no longer the nightmare it had been moments ago. Once that was done she went out to the kitchen and dumped the frying pan in the sink, charred remains of the syrup bottle and all, and ducked into the laundry to grab her work shirt from the drier.

She was just buttoning the front of the pale pink blouse up when Cade came barrelling out into the kitchen, swamped in a teal bath towel and beamed up at her.

"All clean."

Ruby smiled down at him, motioning for him to follow her. Once she was in her room she held up two different flowers. "Pink or Blue?"

He looked at them intently, then pointed to the pink. "Wha's it for?"

She tucked up behind her ear, effectively holding the sheet of fiery hair back. She posed for a moment, giggling when he clapped and lost his towel. The little boy scrambled to pick it up, flashing his behind at her in the process.

Ruby grinned as she pulled her ankle boots on, dusty rose coloured suede to keep with the colour theme, and pretended not to notice.

Leon's head poked into the room, his hair still damp and slicked back. "Did you need a ride to work?" he asked gruffly.

"That would be wonderful, Le. Thankyou."

He nodded, "Let me get dressed and I'll take you."

"But taking me would be much more fun naked."

Leon stared blankly at her, then slowly shook his head and started to walk away. "I can't believe you just said that."

It took a mere five minutes before Leon was dressed and Ruby was just lacing Cade's little boots when he walked in jingling his keys.

"What time do you need to be picked up?"

Ruby stood up, tucking her hair behind her other ear now too. Her hoop earrings dangled almost to her shoulders.

"Oh, that's ok, sweetie. I'll get a cab home." She replied, distracted as she made sure she had everything she needed for work.

Leon's throat cleared. "If you're sure."

Nodding, "Yeah – it'll be fine." She held her hand out to Cade and the three traipsed out the door. For the first time that morning, the house fell into silence.


	8. Bastardisation of Leon 'or' Rants

**A/N: Ok ladies and/or gentlemen, I present to you another update and 'bastard Leon' - he's a bit of a shit in this one. Gotta love him though. Thankyou to all who reviewed and all the other people who read.. cause i know you did.. damn hit counters..

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He felt drained by the time he got home from his weekly visit to Jesse. The sun was falling in the sky and the sky was it the bruised stage in between daylight and darkness. There were a few stars scattered over the horizon, tiny white lights winking at him.

Pulling into the drive, Leon rolled his eyes. Bethany was home – that he had no problem with – but her friends were over too. He sat in the car for a moment, not quite ready to face the gaggle of teenage girls. Bethany he would call a young woman, but the others were nowhere near adult. They walked around flaunting themselves in front of him even after he'd made himself perfectly clear that he wasn't interested. One had even gone as far as 'falling' into his lap while he was out on the back deck having his morning smoke.

Leon sneered. Even if he had been interested he wouldn't touch any of them. They were all fifteen and sixteen and touching one of them would mean instant jail time. He took a deep breath and opened the car door, climbing out slowly. He could already hear the giggles and his head started to pound.

Looking across the car, "Bethy have you seen my lighter?" he pat his pockets down, but only felt the crumpled pack of smokes.

One of the girls jumped to her feet and bounded over to him. "You can borrow mine, Leon!"

He didn't even look at her as he snatched it off her and lit his cigarette. "You're too young to smoke." He muttered, "It's disgusting."

She faltered, then her smile returned full force. "No I'm not. I'm sixteen."

He tossed it back at her, slamming his car door and starting toward the porch. "We have a word for girl's like you where I come from."

She followed him, almost tripping over herself to keep up. "What's that?"

He stopped beside Bethany on the steps and turned to look at the girl. "Child." He dead panned. He looked down at Bethany. "You need different friends." He didn't even bother trying to keep his voice down, merely insulted them and went on his way.

It was getting tedious. He loved Angie like a mother and Bethany like a sister, but her friends were really starting to annoy him. She was such a nice girl yet she hung around with the town doorknobs. Sooner or later everyone would get a turn.

Leon was surprised at himself. He hated being unkind to women, yet he had just berated a group of them just because he was in a horrible mood.

"You know what, Leon? You're a prick!" the very same girl called after him, her voice full of false bravado. He stopped walking and shook his head. Did she honestly think he wouldn't do anything? He turned slowly and stalked back toward the now quiet group of girls.

Bethany stood up and put her hand out. "Leon, please.. She didn't mean it!"

He glared down at her until she backed down, which didn't take long and stepped up to the little girl who had called him a prick.

"Do you really think that a grown man would be interested in you? That you've got something to offer him?" He spat, looking her up and down. "You are a **child**! A fucking **child**! You live in that superficial little deluded head of yours and you can't even see the world through the shit in your eyes – you are pathetic." He snarled, getting right into her face. He was careful not to touch her as he knew she would have him up on charges at the drop of a hat.

"Are you a virgin? I bet you're a virgin – they tend to live in a similar little fantasy world to yours." He snorted. "You wouldn't know the first thing to do with me if I ever gave in to you. Do you know why, Marissa? Because I'm a man – not one of those punk assed little bastards you go to school with. I would tear you in two." He uttered lowly, languidly leaning back to take a drag of his cigarette. He stared at her blankly for a moment, then shook his head, disgust creeping into his eyes.

"You need to wake up to yourselves. All of you."

He spun on his heel and stomped down the porch.

"He needs to get laid." One of them commented behind his back. Leon's blood ran hot but he kept walking.

"Go home, Elizabeth. Just – all of you go home."

Leon stopped just around the corner to listen to Bethany, wondering how she was going to handle his little outburst.

"**_Bethany_**! He just told **us** off and you're telling **us** to leave! What the hell is wrong with you?"

Bethany's voice was quiet. "He's a good man and he would never say things like that unless he'd had enough. He told you he wasn't interested in you, Marissa! He turned you down politely the very first time you tried to grope him!"

There was spluttering. "I did not-"

"Yes! Yes you did, Marissa! Now Leon is my big brother and I don't like you all throwing yourselves at him the way you do! Just go home! Please."

There was a lot of angry muttering for a few minutes until finally he could hear the girls' voices getting quieter and fading into the distance. Leon heard the front door slam. He would thank Bethany for defending him later when he was calmer and less likely to rip her head off about the stupidity of being involved with people like them. He growled low in his chest as he strode toward the back deck where he could hear Angeline and Cade playing. He stopped just inside the door and looked out at them. He couldn't be near Cade in this state. His beautiful son would do or say something innocent enough and he would yell at him, Cade would cry, then he would cry and then he'd feel like the worst in the world.

He cleared his throat. "Angie?" he called softly.

The middle aged blonde woman turned at the sound of her name and climbed to her feet, leaving Cade to play with his cars on the activity mat for a moment.

"What's the matter, sweetie?"

He trembled with barely concealed rage as he spoke. "I had a slight run in with Bethany's friends – you may get some calls."

Angie rubbed his arm, stunned at the corded feeling of his muscles beneath her hand.

"Alright – are you off again?"

Leon nodded. "Would you mind-"

"Say no more – I'll see you when you get in." she told him gently, ushering him back out of sight before Cade saw him and wanted to go with him. "Be careful now."

He backed away from her, then without a word turned on his heel and went out the front door, his tires screaming as he tore out of their street.

* * *

Ruby had been dozing on the front porch in the hammock when a car door slamming started her awake. She jerked and swore loudly, the hammock swinging and pitching her over onto the floor. She groaned, climbing to her knees even as the door to the porch flew open and the frame cracked against the wood paneling. 

She blinked rapidly when she saw Leon step into the cool enclosed area, then flinched when he slammed to door closed again.

"**RUBY**!" he bellowed into the house, not seeing her on the floor just a few feet away.

Ruby went to stand and got her foot caught in her skirt, toppling back to the floor with a thump and a rather profane blaspheme. When she looked up again, Leon was staring at her oddly.

"Why the fuck are you on the floor?"

She rolled her eyes. "Because someone – don't know who – tore into my drive, slammed their door and scared the fuck out of me!" she shouted at him. Her knees stung from landing funny on the wooden porch. Leon's facial expression lost some of it's raw anger and he shifted.

"Sorry." He muttered, reaching out a hand to help her to her feet. "'M shitty."

She fixed him with a mocking, wide eyed look. "No – really?" At his dark look she softened, "What's wrong?" she asked, brushing her knees off. She seemed to always end up on the floor when Leon was in her home.

"Fucking Bethany's friends, that's what!" he started, releasing her arm to start pacing. His fingers fisted in his hair as he walked back and forth furiously, ranting about the self respect of today's teens. Ruby had never seen him so worked up over something. She found herself growing angry with whoever had pushed him to this.

"Leon – I'm one of today's teens." She told him quietly.

He stopped. "What? No you're not – that's bullshit!"

Ruby giggled. "No really, Le – I'm nineteen."

He blinked dumbly. "You are?" he looked toward his toes, visibly counting. "Oh." He mumbled quietly. He suddenly became animated again. "Well I didn't mean you! I meant that little trashy whore who's attached herself to Bethy!"

Ruby moved herself down onto one of the bean bags and arranged her skirts carefully so she could sit with her legs spread out in front of her.

"You know," she pointed out, "Bethy is one of these so called 'today's teens with no self respect' as well."

Leon stomped his foot like a petulant child. "That is beside – **the** **point**! Her little friends are whores with low morals and that fucking little whore, Marissa tried to grab my cock!"

Ruby erupted into a fit of shocked laughter. **That** she hadn't been expecting him to come out with.

Leon scowled at her. "It's not funny." He dead panned. "Ruby – stop laughing at me."

By now she was sprawled backward across the beanbag, her head thrown back howling with laughter. She showed no signs of letting up.

He sighed and trudged over to stand between her legs, then turned and sat with his back to her. Once he tapped her leg her laughter died down fairly quickly. He heard the squeak of her moving and then her hands slipped beneath the neck of his shirt.

"I'm sorry, precious – rant away."

"No," he pouted, "The urge is gone now."

Her long, ringed fingers ran through his hair. "Ok – teenagers, whores, she tried to grab your mighty sword of justice – proceed."

Leon closed his eyes and shook his head. "Mighty sword of.." he sighed, "I really don't know what the hell you're thinking sometimes."

"You'd be very confused if you did!" she impulsively hugged his neck from behind. "Did you know that in Liverpool it's illegal for a woman to be topless in public except if she's working as a clerk in a tropical fish store? I think we should go to Liverpool and buy some tropical fish."

Leon's shoulders shook slightly with silent mirth and Ruby smiled. He was calming down. Angry Leon scared her – even when they were little, or she was little and Leon was seventeen – seeing him angry had been scary for her. He was usually so sweet and gentlemanly that seeing him otherwise disturbed her. Well – he was still sort of a gentleman and he did have his moments.

She pecked his cheek.

"Let's go swimming."

He turned slightly in her embrace, looking back at her. "It's dark, Ruby."

"So?" she hopped up and started inside. "Come on, sugar plum.. Off your booty and come breast stroke with me."

Leon coughed. From now on – he was officially giving up trying to understand her.


	9. Taking Away The Pain

**A/N: Updating - thankyou to those who reviewed the last chapter, you guys rock. On with the update!

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Leon looked up at the night sky, only a mere twenty minutes earlier littered with stars. Now they were blanketed in a thick layer of clouds. The moon barely peeked through but it somehow managed, it's muted glow bathing the beach in just enough light to see. The waves roared further out from the beach in the deeper water.

"Leon! Back in the water!"

He shook his head. "Statistically night time is the most likely time for you to get eaten by a shark," he shook his hair, droplets of water flying, "Im not getting back in there."

He could see Ruby standing thigh deep in the surf, her white skin glowing.

"Statistically – you're a moron. Now get back in here and save me from the pointy toothed fish!"

Leon grumbled. "Slap you with a fish more like.." As he waded back out to her he felt the first droplets of rain starting to fall.

Ruby watched him walk toward her, her fingers dragging through the water. He had a look on his face that signified him being deep in thought, maybe even slightly troubled. She waited until he was closer to her, the rain falling heavier now, and took his hand.

"You alright?"

He nodded mutely. Ruby could tell he was lying. He had been off since they had arrived on the beach half an hour earlier. At first he wasn't even going to get in the water but after some gentle coaxing and not so gentle shoving, he was laying drenched on the shore. He'd thrown her in for that.

"Come on," she said, tugging on his hand, "back to shore."

Leon shook his head. "You just-" he sighed. "Fine."

They were quiet as they walked the distance back to shore, the only sounds being the roar of the waves and the patter of the rain falling against the water's surface.

Once they were in shallow water, only to their ankles, Ruby took Leon's other hand.

"Come and dance with me, Leon."

He looked at their hands, stumbling forward clumsily when she tugged on his arms. "I can't dance." He watched her feet as she walked ahead of him, their fingers entwined. With every step they would sink into the damp sand and the tiny silver bells on her anklets would jingle quietly.

She looked back at him over her shoulder, the jade and silver chandelier earrings she wore sparkling in the muted moonlight.

"Doesn't matter, precious. Just dance." Her fingers tightened in his as she pulled him closer, her arm slipping around his waist.

He looked down to where the surf broke around their feet, white water rushing up and splashing their calves.

"Letty would love this. I should-" he stopped himself and looked up. Ruby was smiling sadly at him.

Her thumbs brushed his cheeks. "It's ok to talk about her, Leon."

He gulped down the air his body felt like it so desperately needed. Pain swelled in his chest, choking him.

"She liked lilies." He said softly, not game enough to speak anything above a near whisper. "- and she was beautiful." The last came out as a choked whimper. "She made things hurt less."

Ruby raised herself onto her tip toes in the wet sand and pressed a light, comforting kiss on his lips.

Leon's eyes closed tightly at the feel of her full lips against his, the guilt from kissing another woman, someone who wasn't Letty fighting it's way to the surface. Despite this, he bent a little lower and caught her mouth in another kiss before she had moved too far away. Tears leaked from his closed eyes.

He sighed into her mouth, shaking as she slowly pulled away from him. For a moment he was expecting to see dark brown eyes staring up at him, then when he saw her green eyes reality came crashing down.

This time he didn't bother stopping it. The sobs that racked his body brought him to his knees, the ocean water swelling up around him.

"I wanted a baby," he cried, rocking back and forth, "-it's all my fault."

Ruby moved around to kneel beside him, sheltering him from the worst of the waves' impact as they rolled into shore. She fought her own tears as she wrapped her arms around him, resting her cheek against the top of his head.

"It wasn't your fault," she held him tightly, "It wasn't. You couldn't have known this would happen."

As Leon continued to sob in her arms Ruby kept repeating her efforts to comfort him. She knew that nothing she said would make him feel better or take away his pain but she had to try. Leon was her friend and she couldn't just sit there and say nothing, she had to try.

His voice was hoarse and muffled against her chest, but she clearly heard his words.

"If I hadn't have pushed for a baby she wouldn't have died."

* * *

The hammock swung ever so slightly in the breeze, the rain hammering down outside. Ruby watched the downpour through the shade cloth that enclosed the front porch, her hand absently stroking Leon's head where it lay against her chest. His breathing was deep and relaxed in sleep, his exhaustion wiping him out completely. 

It had taken him a good half hour to calm down enough to get up on the beach and another ten minutes to make the short walk home. Then once they'd gotten back to the house he had just stood in the middle of the room, lost. She had gone inside and gotten some towels and blankets then come back out, helped him dry off and wrapped him up snugly. He'd then practically crawled into the hammock with her and proceeded to cry a little more. Not a lot was said during that whole time, just the occasional proclamation of guilt and some whispered soothing nothings. When it came to explicit details on what happened, she was still in the dark.

Ruby hated feeling so helpless. Leon was a mess inside and there was little to nothing she could do for him. Her fingers worked through the slightly tangled pale brown strands, gently tracing down the back of his neck to smooth across his shoulders. Leon made a quiet sound, like a sigh, and pushed his head closer to her heart. She hugged him as well as she could in the position they were in, her leg shifting to drape over the back of his thigh. She wriggled her toes, trying to rid herself of the pins and needles weighing down her foot from Leon's weight laying on it.

A crash of thunder sent vibrations through the ground and lightning lit up the inky black sky, illuminating the thick storm clouds overhead. Ruby grimaced. They wouldn't stay dry where they were for long if the wind picked up. The shade cloth stopped the rain for the most part but once that wind shifted it would turn the front porch into a wind tunnel.

It was with a heavy, regretful sigh that she shook Leon.

He didn't stir the first time she called his name, nor the second, but when she said it the third time a little firmer, his brown creased.

She shook him again. "Leon – **wake up**."

He jerked awake, his eyes wide and terrified. His hands went straight to her stomach, almost in a daze and he whimpered. They slid over the flat surface for a moment then stilled.

Ruby watched him blink a few times, then his eyes rose to meet hers.

"You're not Letty.." he whispered softly, almost too quiet for her to catch.

"No, sweetie," she stroked his head, "-I'm not."

Leon looked at her silently, his mouth trying to say something but nothing came out. Ruby decided to take the opportunity while he was awake and sat up, forcing him up with her.

"Come on, Le – Inside. The storm's picking up out here and we'll get sick."

He mutely nodded, climbing out of the hammock and adjusting the blanket around his shoulders.

"Do you want me to sleep on the couch?" he asked her softly, looking at the floor.

Ruby rubbed his back gently as she guided him inside. "You can sleep with me if you want to." She locked the front door and started down the hall toward her room, not waiting to see what he had decided on.

She was already curled up in the centre of her bed, almost asleep when she heard the door creak open and the muted sound of a blanket falling on the floor. Her eyes still closed, she felt a cool blast of air on her legs as the blankets lifted then the brush of Leon's leg sliding in beside her. She rolled onto her back and held her arm out. She instantly had an armful of Leon, his face buried in her neck. Her hand came up to tangle in his hair.

"You ok, precious?"

His head shook against her, his tears hot against her neck. "It hurts."

Ruby sighed and held him closer, just waiting for the tears to taper off and for him to drop off to sleep. He sniffled, nuzzling closer a little. "..Ruby?"

"Yeah?" Her closed eyes shot open when she felt his lips drag across her throat, surprised. Her eyes fluttered closed when he did it again. His tears still fell against her skin.

"Make it go away," he pleaded through tears, "- make it stop hurting."

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, pressed so close to her side, tears streaking his face. Her fingers wiped the salty moisture away and she drew him into her arms.

"Alright Le," she felt his knee slide between her thighs, his weight settle on top of her, "- anything to make you feel better."


	10. Daisy Chains

**A/N: New chapter for all of you - Thankyou to all who reviewed the last chapter. You people rock.**

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**Almost two weeks had passed since he had been back to Ruby's after running out of there like a scared dog after he realised what he'd done. He felt ill all the time, guilt gnawing at him, chewing a hole in him. For that short time he was with Ruby it all went away – the hurt, the fear, the pain – then afterwards it had all rushed back. He had betrayed Letty by sleeping with his friend – the only friend he had left. He hung his head sadly at his next thought. He had used Ruby. Despite her continual assurances that he'd done nothing wrong, Leon still felt as though he'd used her. He'd felt like the scum of the earth even before he saw the blood. Ruby had been a virgin and he took that from her just to make himself feel better for a little while. The one thing that was hers to give to the man she loved and he took it just because he could. She hadn't said anything to him – hadn't really gotten the chance before he'd started rambling and apologising profusely before taking off, leaving her holding the sheet over her and no doubt, humiliated. 

He could hear footsteps coming up behind him and he glanced back. He swore aloud when his hand slipped and jammed itself against the blades of the fan, the wrench he'd been using clattering down to the ground beneath the car. It landed with a heavy thump against the driveway.

Leon shook his hand then turned to his visitor, albeit nervously.

Ruby stood in front of him, her vibrant red hair hanging in twin pig tails either side of her head. A flower chain rested on the crown of her head and she wore a black peasant skirt with a white tank and a dark green velvet bolero jacket. Leon looked at his feet ashamed when she glared at him.

"You've been avoiding me." She stated simply, her head cocked to the side.

Leon's fingers twitched, eager to be doing something. "I didn't think you'd want to see me." He replied lamely, picking at the scraped skin on the back of his hand. He looked up – shocked, when he heard her laughter.

She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Of course I wanted to see you – you're my friend, Le. I've missed you."

He swallowed. "I'm so sorry." He apologised once more.

Ruby's hand connected with the side of his head, knocking him off balance.

"If you apologise for something **I** wanted to do for you one more time, I'm not giving you the cake I brought for you that's in my bag."

Warily, Leon looked at her. "You wanted to do for me?" he picked up a rag and wiped his hands, focusing on getting the grease out from underneath his nails.

Ruby's ringed fingers plucked the rag off him and she went to work getting the grease off.

"Yep – I wanted to do that for you. Sure as hell beat sleeping." She quipped, giggling at Leon's blush. "Look, sweetie.. You were in a lot of pain and it was frustrating to see you like that – I just wanted to help you."

He looked at their hands, hers pale and elegant, his dirty and rough from work. "You're not mad at me for…" he cleared his throat, "For-"

Ruby quirked a brow at him. "The only thing I'm mad at you for is not coming to visit. We're still friends, Leon. You didn't have to stay away just because we had sex."

Leon blew out a deep sigh. "You're sure you're alright? You're not mad at me?"

"If I was mad at you would I have bought you mud cake?" she grinned at his interested look. "Is Cade here?"

He nodded, eyes trained on her hands reaching into her bag and producing two white paper bags. Without even looking away from them;

"**CADE**! **RUBY'S HERE**!"

Ruby smothered her laughter as he snatched the larger one of them off her and peeked inside, instantly reaching in and producing a hefty slab of the decadent cake. He took a huge bite, _then_, only then did he lean forward to kiss her cheek. He said something that vaguely resembled thankyou and kept stuffing his face.

Shaking her head at him, Ruby turned when she heard the excited yelling of Cade getting closer. She lifted her bag over her head and dumped it on the ground, carefully placing the white paper bag on top of it only seconds before Cade launched himself at her.

Leon watched as Ruby fell to the grass beside the driveway, her skirt riding up to rest just above her knees and her feet kicking in the air, Cade sitting on her belly. She squealed with laughter as the little boy enthusiastically dotted kisses all over her face.

"Missed you, Miss Ruby." He kept saying between the kisses and enthused hugs. He stopped and beamed down at her. "Daddy helpeded me paint picture."

She gasped, sitting up and cradling him in her lap. "He did! I bet it's really pretty." She commented as she bounced the giggling little boy, tickling him.

Leon swallowed the mouth full of chocolate cake he had, "He forgets to mention it's for you."

Ruby looked from Leon to Cade. "You painted me a picture?" her eyes sparkled. "Well then – I suppose I should give you this." Reaching across she snagged the paper bag sitting on top of her messenger bag and handed it to the curious little boy.

Leon strolled over and dropped down onto the grass near them. "Life lesson, Cade," the little boy looked at him with big wide eyes, "- when presented with a little paper bag that has a little picture on it," he pointed, "-kiss whoever gave it to you. It's usually cake."

Cade's eyes got wider. "Cake?" he looked at Ruby, "Cake?"

She nodded. "Now I knew you're not supposed to have chocolate, so I got you caramel mud cake instead." She looked at Leon. "Is that alright, precious?"

Leon looked touched that she'd considered his son's allergy. If Cade ate anything chocolate he would be up the rest of the night vomiting and become fevered. There would be lots of tears and a lot less sleep.

"Yeah – yeah that's fine." He watched in comfortable silence as Ruby helped Cade rip the bag open and broke up the chunk of caramel cake for him. After sitting him on the grass so he was free to make a mess, she looked up and saw him watching.

"You ok, Le?"

He nodded. "Are we ok?"

Ruby rolled her eyes and waved him off. "Course we are – stress less." She glanced at the car still sitting with the hood up, "Go and work so Cade and I can heckle."

He tore a chunk of grass from the lawn and threw it at her, standing up to move back to the car when someone pulled up in the drive. He squinted in the sunlight, his head rolling back slightly when he realised who it was.

"Fucking car load of them.." he muttered, brushing his hands on the dirty thighs of his navy, grease stained old coveralls. He suddenly wished he was wearing his shirt instead of using it as a rag to wipe his hands on.

Ruby looked from him to the car load of teenagers that just arrived. "Do I need to guess?"

He looked down at her, shaking his head. "You remember the rant – you don't need to guess."

Cade sat on the grass eating, oblivious to his father's sudden turning mood.

Ruby tugged off her sandals and rose to her feet, walking over to stand by Leon. She looked under the hood of the car with her hands behind her back.

"Just as I suspected," she murmured ruefully, "-**very** dirty under there."

Leon snorted, leaning back over the engine. "Since when have you cared about dirty?"

"Dirty is good." She retorted with a sly grin, bumping his hip with hers.

Leon flushed and shook his head, trying his best to ignore her. "Stop that."

Ruby rocked on her heels, grinning. "So which one is the one who tried to grab the mighty sword of justice?"

Leon's profanity was accompanied by a metal clanging as he dropped the wrench yet again and he turned to look at her wide eyed. "You don't want me to finish this do you?"

Taking the hint she spun on her heel and on the balls of her toes so she didn't burn her poor feet any more, ran back over to sit by Cade on the lawn. He looked up at her, his mouth smeared with the frosting from his treat.

"Picture now?"

Ruby grinned, excited at the prospect of getting the painting. "For sure! Let's go clean you up."

Leon watched them go out of the corner of his eye and slumped, leaning over beneath the hood of the car. Relief that he hadn't destroyed the only friendship he had to his name at the moment filled him. The guilt remained. He'd still betrayed Letty and he'd still used Ruby. Even if it was alright for a little while – it was far from ok.


	11. Rage

**A/N: Well I'm bored, so I decided to update again. It's a little short but I'm sure you'll find it in your heart to forgive me. Thankyou to my wonderful reviewers!**

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**Leon's long fingers poked through the tool box on the driveway searching for a washer. He had a cigarette hanging from his lips and his hair was hanging in his eyes. Bringing his hand up he brushed the strands back, damp with sweat and made an irritated noise in his throat. 

"Where the fuck-" he stopped, looking back toward the house. He could hear yelling – women yelling. "Jesus Christ. What the fuck is going on in there?" he asked himself, standing. He took one last drag off the cigarette then tossed the butt aside, crunching it beneath his boot quickly before starting up the side footpath toward the back of the house. Even as he stepped up onto the deck he could still hear the girls yelling at each other – to his surprise one of the voices he could hear was Ruby.

"- ever again and I'll break your fucking neck!"

He blinked, stunned. Ruby never spoke like that. She rarely swore at all and got angry even less. She loved life too much to be unhappy. Stepping up to the back door, Leon slid the security door open and stepped halfway inside, just leaning in.

"What is going on in here?" he asked, seeing a pink faced Ruby standing rigidly with her fists clenched at her sides.

Marissa was standing by the table holding her cheek, little droplets of blood swelling beneath her finger tips. Tears rolled down her face and she was glaring at Ruby.

He then turned and saw Cade curling himself into Bethany's chest, his quiet cries audible even from where he was standing at the door. He quirked a brow and walked over, his big hand stroking Cade's dark silky hair.

"That psycho bitch attacked me!"

Leon turned at Marissa's angry shout. "Don't swear like that in front of my son." He told her firmly, unaffected by the wounded look she gave him. He was beyond caring if he hurt that girl's feelings. "Now someone tell me what the hell is going on."

Marissa huffed. "So you can swear in front of him and I can't!"

"Oh shut up you whiney little tramp." Ruby snapped meanly, still furious. Leon looked from one girl to the other and moved to Ruby's side. His hand came up to her head and righted the off kilter flower chain on her crown. Her anger seemed to deflate slightly and she gave him a tight smile.

"What happened Rubes?"

"That bitch hit me!" Marissa exclaimed again.

"Watch your fucking mouth!" He roared at her, "I didn't ask you, so shut the hell up!" He looked at Ruby again. "Ruby?"

The red head was still glaring at Marissa. "She was trying to get Cade to give her a hug, but he didn't want to so she grabbed him!" Ruby's cheeks flushed even more, "He said no, but she still grabbed him. So Yes, I fucking hit her!"

Leon's face turned eerily blank at this piece of information and he turned to look at Cade.

"Did she hurt you?"

The little boy didn't even lift his head from Bethany's chest, scared. Bethany nodded slightly and pointed to his arm where there was a red mark blemishing his caramel skin.

Leon's vision turned as red as Ruby's hair. "He said no," he turned to Marissa, "-and you touched him anyway?" His voice was deathly calm as he took a slow step toward the now nervous looking girl.

"He didn't say no!" she stammered, "She's lying!"

The thought of her accusing Ruby of lying to him angered him further. Ruby was one of the most genuine, honest people he'd ever met.

"You grabbed my son." He snarled, closing in on her. Marissa back peddled, tripping on a nearby chair as he advanced on her.

Leon couldn't believe it. He hadn't been there to stop the same thing happening to Vince growing up and now he'd failed his own son. He was a letdown as a brother and as a father. Anger bubbled in his veins as she insisted it was all a lie.

"If it's a lie then why the hell does he have a mark on his arm?" he asked her all too nicely. His steps were slow but sure, backing her into the corner.

The group of girls in the room were all tensed nervously. They could tell Marissa had overstepped the line Leon had lain down when it came to his boy. He was fairly easy to live with most of the time, keeping mostly to himself, but when it came to Cade he was downright protective. Bordering on frighteningly so sometimes.

Ruby could tell Leon was furious. His shoulders had tightened beyond anything she'd ever seen before and his spine was rigid, painfully straight. Leon was an emotionally driven man and the mask he wore right at that moment scared the hell out of her. It was pure nothingness. She knew without a doubt that he was going to hit the teenaged girl in front of him if he wasn't stopped. The last thing he needed was an assault charge on his record – he could lose Cade.

She darted forward just in time to see his fist clench and start to raise, throwing herself in front of him and wrapping herself around his waist. She pushed her cheek against his chest as she vainly struggled to push him backward.

"Leon – STOP!"

He struggled against her, pushing back toward the cowering girl in the corner. "She touched my boy!" He shouted, trying to get her off him.

Ruby squeezed her eyes shut when his fingers wrapped around her upper arms, digging in as he tried to loosen her grip on his waist.

"Leon, stop!" She could feel him moving her backward. "**Leon** - YOU'RE HURTING ME!"

He stopped struggling as much though she could feel the tension in his body. He was shaking with rage. His fingers loosened on her arms, instead just resting there.

Ruby looked up and saw his face was still blank as blank, then peered past his side at Bethany. Cade's head was still buried in her chest. He'd seen none of the scene thankfully.

"Come on, Le – let's go. Let's get you out of here."

He grunted, still watching the terrified girl in the corner. "You come near my boy again and I'm going to kill you." He growled out, his voice full of promise.

The girl squeaked, terrified and scrambled over to her friends – none of which looked entirely sympathetic.

Bethany rocked Cade gently, the frightened little boy clinging to her for grim life. He was almost white knuckled.

"Le, why don't you go and calm down," she looked at her 'friends', "-they were all just leaving anyway so I can take care of Cade if you like."

He glared at the girls on the other side of the room, his hand unconsciously tightening on Ruby's arm again.

She winced and tried to pull her arm free to no avail. Her face so close to his chest there was only one thing she could think of doing. She leaned forward and closed her teeth around his nipple and bit down. Hard.

Leon jerked, tearing backward. "What the fuck, woman!"

She glared at him, outwardly unaffected by his anger. Inside she was quailing. He scared the hell out of her when he was angry.

"You were hurting me, Leon! That's all that would get your attention!"

He glowered at her, his eyes shining with pent up emotion. Ruby could tell just by looking at him that he was close to having another breakdown like on the beach and she stepped forward.

"Come on, Le. Bethany said she'd watch Cade while you calmed down. We can go back to my place for a while."

His expression, though still filled with fury and hatred, turned thoughtful and he turned to Bethany.

"You'll watch him?" He asked gruffly, "Put something on his arm?"

She nodded. "Go with Ruby, Leon. I've got him."

Leon walked stiffly over to her and bent, kissing Cade's cheek. He whispered an 'I love you' against his ear then turned on his heel and stormed out the back door.

Ruby shook her head at Marissa, still trembling. "You're so fucking lucky he didn't get his hands on you."

Marissa scowled at the older girl. "Go to hell you fucking whore!"

Ruby found herself in front of her and had punched her in the face before she even knew what she was doing. She glared at the girl, now sitting on the floor holding her bloody nose.

"Now how's that for gratitude?"


	12. Haunted

**A/N: I'd like to thank everyone who read/reviewed tha last chap (and the ones before that) - I can't stress just how much your feedback means to me. Anywho, about the update - the large chunk of italics represents a dream. Leon is dreaming. Got it? Good.

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_Leon's head bounced off the cabinet, the sound of glass shattering behind him loud and ear splitting. He whimpered as he tried to climb to his knees, glass embedding itself into his palms as he put his hands on the floor._

"_You little bastard! It's all your fault that she left!" _

_His breath whooshed out of his lungs when the bigger man's boot crashed into his ribs, sending him careening into the broken cabinet again. This time he cried out in pain, slivers of glass biting into his side, shoulder and cheek. He started to cough violently, the tears that leaked from his eyes stinging as they dripped over the cuts on his face._

_The glass crunched beneath his step father's boots, the sound ominous and filling him with a sense of foreboding. He turned his head slightly, cringing down against the wrecked furniture. His shirt tightened and started to choke him when the angry man in front of him twisted his big beefy hand into the back of it and lifted him up. He shook him gruffly, sneering._

"_You told her to leave, didn't you! You told that stupid mother of yours to leave me, didn't you!"_

_Leon shook his head frantically, "No sir!" He gagged, eyes squeezed shut. "I didn't, honest!" he could feel the blood starting to seep through his shirt from the cuts and his hands clawed desperately at the hand now around his throat. He choked, wincing when his facial movement stretched the already stinging cuts._

"_DON'T YOU LIE TO ME!" The man boomed, shoving him backward. The cabinet's frame bit into his flesh, the fragmented shards of glass left in the small doors splintering further and driving into his skin. By now, he was a mess of cuts, scratches and gashes and blood was seeping freely from all his wounds. He could feel the grainy texture of glass beneath his skin._

_Leon gasped, black spots forming in his eyes. He barely even had the chance to move before he found himself picked up and being tossed again. This time he landed face down, his head through the hole in the cabinet door. Hands grasped the back of his jeans and pulled, dragging him backward across the jagged edges of the now glassless door. He cried out as he felt the remnants of the once stained glass pane cut into his throat, slicing at the delicate flesh beneath his jaw. His hands flew up to try to free his jaw, caught on the edge of the moulded panel. His wounded hands slid wetly over his chin, fumbling to hold his weight off it and more debris dug into his knees as he scrambled upright._

_He whined sickly, sounding more like an injured animal than a teenaged boy. By now he was beyond trying to stay composed, a nail jammed up into his chin._

_The room was oddly silent, save for his whimpers._

_Leon stopped trying to free himself for a moment, his heart thundering in his chest. He was starting to feel dizzy from blood loss and the pain in his hands, knees and face was driving him crazy. Dread swelled in his gut when he realised why everything was so quiet. _

_Frank was gone. The bastard had thrown him through the cabinet, gotten bored with him and left._

_Leon listened for a while longer, just to be sure he was alone and bit back a sob. Everywhere burned. He stifled another sob as he reached into his pocket, the coarse denim chafing at his wounded hands as he fumbled for the cell phone his mother bought him for emergencies. Albeit the emergencies she had gotten it for involved the car, but he figured she wouldn't mind him using it now. Tears burning down his cut up face, he carefully dialled 911 and brought the phone up to his ear. When an operator answered he burst into tears, sobbing against the cabinet door, caught._

"_.. help me."_

Leon jerked awake, struggling to breathe and covered in sweat. He could hear the muted rumble of thunder over head and the light patter of rain on the roof. He shook his head, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his palms.

"Shit," he mumbled softly to himself, "- Jesus."

The sheets were pooled around his waist and the room was dim. It was either late afternoon of very early evening judging by the lack of light. Scouring the room he searched for the location of Ruby's clock, giving up after a few minutes when he didn't see one.

He stared down at his hands, his dream still fresh in his mind. Across the heel of either palm he had scars, just like on his side and neck, that had been inflicted by his step father. Well not thanks to his step father directly, but due to his actions. It was the first time he had dreamt about it in years but it was possibly triggered by the days events. He had made up with Ruby, lost his temper, almost attacked a fifteen year old girl and then had once again, fallen into bed with his best friend. The term fallen into bed being used loosely, more like 'had rough, violent sex with her on the front porch'.

He cringed at the memory of realising she'd passed out, then realising he'd made her bleed. He had been entirely too rough with her, especially considering it was only her second time. Leon's shoulders slumped. He'd hurt Ruby again. She had assured him over and over that she was alright, that he hadn't harmed her and that she had wanted it, but that still didn't make him feel any better. The momentary horror of realising she was unconscious had terrified him. He'd never done that to anyone – even Letty.

He blinked back tears when he thought of Letty. She had been all he'd ever wanted in life, all he lived for. He'd remained silent for so long about his feelings for her – waited for so long, only to have her cruelly taken away from him. Whoever said it was better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all was a fucking moron. Losing your love hurt more than an entire life of emptiness.

Leon ran his fingers through his hair, brushing it back behind his ears and out of his face. He'd let himself go since Letty had died. Only Vince pestering him telling him that he looked like Jesus stopped him from ceasing to shave altogether during the past two years.

He frowned. Cade's birthday was coming up soon. It had been easy to play it down the year before as he was only one then and he hadn't understood what his birthday meant, but now he was pretty much two and had seen Aurora have birthdays he knew what was involved. He loved big events like that when people got presents. Whether it was him or someone else, he loved seeing people get gifts and he loved giving them. Leon sighed. This year would be hell – Cade was already excited about it.

Leon pushed the blankets back and climbed from the bed, looking around for something to put on. He'd just curled up in the bed as soon as he'd gotten out of the shower and all his clothes, correction, coveralls, were out on the front porch. He was just about to pull the sheet off the bed and tie it around him when he saw a pile of his clothes sitting on the chair by the dresser.

Slowly he pulled on his boxers then the baggy black cargo shorts and buttoned them, wondering where Ruby had gotten them from. He picked up the basketball jersey and walked toward the door, squinting as the warm amber glow of Ruby's hallway light flooded into the room when he opened the door.

The sounds of cooking was coming from the kitchen as well as some quiet music and the television, both turned down low. He sniffed the air and his stomach grumbled. He smelled roast chicken. Leon shuffled down the hall, still sleepy and into the kitchen where he saw Ruby standing at the bench chopping vegetables. An oversized black poet shirt hung off her shoulders, it's length hiding the cobalt hot pants she wore. Her hair was tied back in a messy bun.

She looked up when he entered and gave him a warm smile.

"Feeling better, precious?"

He started to nod, then changed his mind. Ruby already knew what had happened to him as a teenager so he didn't need to hide it from her. She'd seen him the day he was released from hospital, still in bandages and still stitched up like some kind of rag doll.

"I had a nightmare." He told her quietly, sitting at the table.

She stopped chopping and put the knife down. "About?" she asked, her brow furrowed as she moved to check on the chicken.

He touched his chin, tracing the three jagged scars the ran along the underside of his jaw. "My scars."

Ruby nodded, bringing him some coffee. "They've faded really nicely, Le – you can't even see them unless you're looking for them and even then they're difficult to see."

He nodded. "I know," he decided on a change of subject, "I need to go and get Cade."

Ruby waved him off. "Already done. Where do you think the clothes came from?"

Leon stared at her in shock. "You went and got Cade and some clothes for me?"

"You were wiped out, Le – It was the least I could do." She replied simply. Her face turned gleeful. "Angie blew the shit out of Marissa!"

He lifted a brow, trying to imagine the sweet woman screaming at someone. A small smirk crept onto his face at the thought.

"Oh yeah?"

Ruby's eyes sparkled as she nodded. "When I got there she thought I was you – the slut puppy that is – and came running out to grovel. She saw it was me and started screaming and calling me horrible, but oh so thoughtful names and Angie came out a screamed at her again!"

Leon frowned. "Didn't Bethy send them home?"

"Yeah, but the stupid little hose beast came back for some reason and Angie was in the process of abusing the shit out of her for making 'her son' feel so uncomfortable in his own home."

Ruby went back to preparing dinner. "Anywho – I grabbed Cade and some essentials for you and brought him back here. Angie says to give her a call when you feel like talking and to tell you that your phone has been ringing like mad."

He nodded, trying to process all the information she had just given him. Then something odd made him stop.

"Wait – she thought you were me? Why?"

Ruby bit her lip. "Well – I took your car."

Leon's hand stopped half way to his mouth, his coffee forgotten. "You did what?"

"Well my car is still kinda dead – I really didn't think you'd mind!" She told him, unaware of his irritation. "I tell you though, the right hand drive takes a bit to get used to."

Leon swallowed a mouthful of coffee and grimaced. "Did you fuck up my gear box?"

"Nope! Didn't grind 'em once – proud of me?"

He looked at the hopeful look on her face and shook his head, standing up. "You're fucking nuts." He started out toward the living room, only stopping when something hit him in the back of his head. He turned slowly and saw an oven mitt laying on the floor behind him. "Real mature Ruby."

"Well you should be more supportive!"

He leaned against the doorframe. "If your car's fucked how are you getting to work?"

Ruby shook her hips to the beat of the song she had playing, something by Jamiroquai, and bit into a piece of carrot. "Cab."

Leon shook his head yet again, watching her bounce around the kitchen. He was surprised she was moving so easily, yet he noticed she wasn't as enthusiastic as usual. _Shit_, he thought, _I **have** hurt her._

"Where's the boy?"

She spun around in a circle, bopping her head to the music. "On the couch – he fell asleep watching Peter Pan earlier."

Leon stared at her, confused. "He doesn't have Peter Pan." He tried to recall whether Cade indeed did have the Disney movie in his collection. "Did you hire it for him?"

"Nope," she munched on some more carrot, shaking her butt, "-it's mine."

"You own Peter Pan."

Ruby grinned, nodding. "Yep! Love that movie – I've got loads more too. Hercules, Sinbad, The Little Mermaid… Though Sinbad isn't as good – no songs in that one."

"I was right – you are fucking nuts."

He narrowly avoided being hit by a flying saucepan lid.


	13. A Late Night Visitor

**A/N: A big thankyou to everyone who reviewed! Updating now..

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Ruby looked out to sea in the darkness, her feet submerged by an incoming swell of water. Her arms were tightly wrapped around herself, the breeze blowing her hair across her face.

Leon had yelled at her.

She had been watching Cade for ten minutes or so that afternoon while Leon ran an errand and one of her work mates had mistakenly given Cade a piece of chocolate. It had only been a tiny square of it but that was all it took. The little boy was violently ill shortly after and had since been throwing up on a frequent basis all afternoon and evening - or so Angie had told her when she called to see how he was doing. Leon wasn't talking to her.

She knew that he had only yelled at her because he was worried but it had still frightened her. It was so unusual to see him that angry – usually he would bottle everything up and stay quiet on the matter, but when he'd gotten back to pick up Cade and saw his little boy in tears while Ruby was wiping him clean he'd lost it. He was so fiercely protective of his only child sometimes, others she wasn't sure he wanted to remember he existed. He loved Cade, that much was obvious – hell he was completely besotted with the small boy – but there were times Ruby thought he just wanted it to all go away so he could curl up and die. He was fading and he didn't even know it. She worried about him.

She turned on her heel and slowly started back to the house, leaving the ocean at her back. Tugging the sleeves of her light sweater down over her knuckles, she refolded her arms, watching her feet as they sunk into the fine white sand with each step. As she neared the back patio she stopped walking.

"What are you doing here?"

Leon sat on the top step, his elbows propped on his knees. As usual the ever present cigarette was pinched between his fingers.

"You've been down there a while," he murmured, "-you alright?"

Ruby lifted a brow, smirking. "So you are capable of speech – not just screaming."

He flinched. "I deserved that." He nodded to himself. "I shouldn't have yelled at you – it wasn't your fault."

He looked so pathetic and dejected that she couldn't stay angry with him. Rolling her eyes she carefully lifted her skirts and climbed up the steps to sit across from him, one step down. She leaned her back against the banister and stretched her legs out in front of her.

"Is he ok now?"

Leon nodded. "Cried himself to sleep. He's attached himself to Angie so she told me to come over here and relax a little." He looked at her warily. "And to apologise."

Ruby rubbed his knee. "You were scared for him, Le – I probably would have freaked too." She screwed up her nose. "Hell, I did freak."

"I noticed," he said, ashamed, "- I know you love him Ruby and I know you wouldn't let him get hurt." He hung his head, "I had no right behaving like that."

Slapping her hands down on the steps, ruby crawled up until she was beside him then draped her arm around his waist.

"I forgive you, Le." She leaned her head against his shoulder, snuggling into his side when he draped his arm around her. She watched him toss the cigarette butt into the sand at the foot of the steps before she untangled herself from him.

"Come on – the couch is calling."

Leon watched her walk slowly toward the back door, her pace unusually languid and lacking the bounce she usually had. His brows furrowed briefly and he hopped up to follow her. By the time he got inside she had already folded the sofa bed out and the television was on.

She grinned at his baffled look. "I'm feeling lazy – we can sprawl." She pointed to the tower beside the television. "Go pick a movie – there's nothing on TV tonight. Not at this hour."

Her statement confused him and Leon turned to look at the clock on the VCR. _00:23_.

He blinked dumbly. "Shit, ruby – I didn't realise it was so late. I'll leave if you want me to. You can go to bed."

"Do I look tired? Anyway – you know I function on little sleep anyway. If there's anyone here who needs the rest it's you, Mr. 'I don't need sleep, I'll just collapse after a week'."

Leon shook his head and crawled onto the sofa bed. "Can't be bothered with a movie – you pick."

Ruby flopped onto the mattress beside him. "Nope. I guess we're watching the shopping network then."

Groaning, Leon rolled over and buried his face against her shoulder. "God no, anything but that."

"Hey! You couldn't be bothered picking a movie so we watch what I want to. You had your chance Mr Fancy Pants."

He looked down at his old worn blue jeans and then back at Ruby. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

Ruby shrugged, flicking through the channels with the remote. "Not a clue, really." She could feel his breath through the fabric of her sweater against her collar bone. Timidly, she lifted her arm and draped it around his neck. She knew that he felt like shit for yelling at her and as much as he'd scared her, she wouldn't deny him the affection he sought after.

There was a tense moment when she thought he'd tell her to let him go, but then his arm slipped across her stomach and his leg draped across hers.

Ruby gasped when his tongue pressed against her throat, his teeth nipping the delicate skin slightly. Her heart started to race, though it wasn't from excitement – well, not entirely. There was a little fear there too. Fear brought on by the memory of the week prior when he'd taken her almost savagely against the wall, made her bleed. She'd been a fully willing participant but his intensity had frightened her. She was only new at this whole sex thing and she wasn't quite sure whether she could handle a repeat performance of last week. Not so soon. Maybe if he was careful..

Her hand slid up into his hair and tugged slightly on the light brown strands, his moan making her flush a light shade of pink.

"Le? Did you want to..?" her voice was hesitant, slightly apprehensive. She wanted him – wanted to help him have some kind of release but that niggling memory lingered.

He went still against her, his hand just beneath the waist of her skirt brushing the skin over her hip. His lips grazed the underside of her jaw briefly. He leant back, eyes searching her features.

He could see lust but what was mixed with it upset him. "You're scared?"

Ruby flushed even more and for a moment Leon was forced to remember she was virtually a virgin.

"It doesn't matter, precious – if you want to.." her fingers stroked his hair, tracing down over his cheekbone to his bottom lip.

Leon looked as though he was having a battle with himself and Ruby's heart thundered, her stomach tightening when he reached up to cup her jaw.

His lips pressed to hers, a damn sight gentler than the last time he kissed her. She didn't feel bruised when he finally pulled his mouth from hers. He brushed his nose against hers then pecked her on the lips once more.

He crawled backward a little bit and flopped down on his side next to her. His fingers strayed back to her hip and traced over the swell of it gently.

Ruby blinked, confused. "Leon? Aren't we going to-"

He cut her off. "You're not ready for that again – it can wait."

She felt herself warm. Ruby knew that Leon was an emotional wreck at the moment and he needed a release, but he was denying himself that just to prevent her feeling uncomfortable. She grinned, scooting forward to snuggle into him.

"You're a good friend, precious."

He scoffed. "No I'm not – but thanks for lying anyway."

They lay in virtual silence for some time, occasionally speaking to criticise something that they were trying to sell on the television but they were quiet for the most part.

Leon had actually started to doze off when he felt his shirt being pushed up over his chest, a moment later something hot and wet closing around his nipple. He flinched at the sudden sensation, eyes opening to look down at Ruby.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice raspy from being near sleep.

She blinked innocently. "Well I figured if I liked it so much," she blushed, "-maybe you'd like it too."

Leon nodded slowly. "I do – but you know that's not what I meant. I thought we decided not to do anything?" his eyes fluttered closed when her tongue swiped across his nipple again, her mouth closing around it.

Ruby smiled against his skin, "You decided." She bit down lightly, rolling the sensitive nub between her teeth and tongue.

He looked at her, apprehension creeping into his eyes. "Are you sure? I don't want to hurt you if you're still a bit.." he flushed, averting his eyes. He visibly bit back a moan.

Ruby rolled her eyes at him and sat up, pushing on his shoulder until he was laying on his back. She grinned at the look on his face as she slung her leg over him and lowered herself to straddle his lap. Her long fingers reached down and pulled her top off, dropping it off the side of the sofa to the floor.

"I'm sure, Leon." She looked a little more self conscious now. "Do you still-?" she leant back slightly as he sat up, his hands moulding to her sides gently as he scooted back to lean against the back of the couch.

His head ducked to trace a line across the top of her breast with his tongue.

Ruby smirked, her fingers in his hair again. She loved his hair. "I'll take that as a yes."


	14. The Wake Up Call

**A/N: A big thankyou to everyone who reviewed - you're keeping me motivated enough to post! And thankyou to everyone who's reading, but not reviewing too... Still wish i could turn off that hit counter though..

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Ruby started awake, lifting her head from the crook of Leon's neck trying to figure out what woke her. She frowned, rubbing her eyes with her fingers as she rolled and looked down at the pile of clothes on the floor. The sound of an old telephone was coming from Leon's pants.

She quirked a brow and fumbled through the pockets of his jeans, in the process throwing his cigarettes across the room. She frowned at them. They smelled nasty anyway. She made a sound of victory when she found his phone and flipped it open, automatically answering without bothering to check the display.

"Helga's boom boom room." She mumbled into the phone, yawning. There was a tense silence, then a deep almost rumbling voice came down the line.

"Who the hell is this?" the man asked quietly, slightly stunned.

Ruby's brow creased. Well this was new. "I'm Ruby," She quickly looked at the display and put the phone back to her ear, "-and you're Vince."

Vince cleared his throat. "Yes, I am. Who the hell are you?" he asked, his tone a little abrupt.

She eased her way off the sofa, shouldering the phone while she draped a blanket over Leon. If anyone had shown up at the front door they would have gotten an eyeful during the night. She only just noticed she'd left the door open and the sofa was in plain sight from the doorway.

"I'm Ruby." She repeated.

There was a growl of irritation. "Yes – I've got that part. Who the fuck are you though!"

Ruby giggled as she heard a little girl in the background object loudly to the profanity, her little pixie like voice screaming to her Mama that 'Daddy sweared'.

"You just got told."

Vince grumbled. "Little snot dobs me in every time," he cleared his throat again, quietly apologising to the little girl, "-now, Ruby – mind telling me just who you are and why you have my brother's phone?"

She blinked, stopping in the middle of the room. Leon had a brother? He hadn't told her that, hadn't mentioned a word about it. Hurt niggled at her but she pushed it aside for now. She'd deal with that later.

"I'm Ruby - again, and I knew Leon when we were kids. We were in a home together."

The man on the other end made a sound of surprise. "You two were in the home together? Where he met Jesse?"

Ruby grinned, bouncing into the kitchen after pulling on her robe that had been hanging over the back of a chair. "You knew Jesse?" She asked, sounding excited, "He was such a sweetie."

"So… you know about-?"

"Yeah," she opened the fridge, grabbing out the apple juice. "I visit him every few days. Leon doesn't go as often though – it takes a lot out of him."

There was a heavy sigh. "He found him?" he sounded pleased, yet saddened at the same time. His voice took on a harder edge now. "I'm gunna kill the little fucker."

Ruby had the feeling that this Vince was going to hurt Leon when he next saw him.

"Hostile much?" She leaned against the counter, swigging from the juice carton. "Did you know that in Wisconsin butter substitutes aren't allowed to be served in state prisons? Why would you want to serve a substitute anyway? They all taste like crap."

There was a silence and Ruby looked at the display to see if he'd hung up. _Nope, still there._

"Vince?"

"If you don't mind my asking – where did that come from?" he was quiet now, his voice honeyed and low. Ruby shivered. Seems the voice ran in the family.

"Well you said you were going to kill him and that made me think of prison, which then in turn made me remember hearing that law somewhere and I just thought I'd share with you."

There was some choked laughter and Ruby grinned. Vince was easier to amuse than Leon. Either that or he was just more open.

She could hear the smile in his voice. "Fair enough – anything else?"

"Well," Ruby pursed her lips in thought, "It's considered illegal to worry a squirrel in La Crosse.."

There was a soft chuckling and she heard him saying something to someone named 'firefly'. She cooed to herself at the tender tone he used. Curiosity got the better of her.

"Who's Firefly?"

He apologised for getting distracted. "She's my wife. Lights up my world."

"Aww – that is so adorable!"

There was that soft laughter again. "Thanks – now could I talk to Leon? I assume he's there if you've got his phone."

Ruby peeked out into the living room to where he lay sprawled on his stomach, arms spread out from one side of the mattress to the other.

"He's still sleeping." She told him, going back into the kitchen to start breakfast.

There was a crash, then some muted swearing. She could hear a woman laughing and Vince grumbling at her to shut up.

"He's _actually_ sleeping?" He fell quiet, "Wait – I woke you up didn't I?"

"Sure did!" She chirped, flicking on her stereo. She grinned when The Stroke by Billy Squire came on, flooding the room in sound. She turned it down a little and danced her way back to the fridge.

"So – he's still in bed?" he asked after a moment.

"No he's on the couch," she pulled some bacon from the fridge, shouldering the phone once more so she could grab out the eggs, "- he came over late and ended up crashing. He's been a little stressed."

Vince audibly exhaled. He sounded a little less tense now. "Well what's wrong with him? He's been avoiding my calls since he left here." There was no mistaking the annoyance in his voice.

Ruby frowned. She knew Leon had a lot on his mind but to avoid his family, something she assumed meant so much to him sounded out of character for him. Then again he was rather troubled lately.

"He's been in Miami for a month – he hasn't contacted you once?"

"No," Vince sighed, "I've been worried sick about him. He didn't even let us know if he arrived ok and here you are telling me he's fine, asleep on your couch and he's found Jesse."

Ruby grimaced. "I wouldn't say 'fine' – just mediocre."

Vince grunted slightly. "I'll shoot the little shit for worrying Firefly like this," Ruby didn't even know what the man looked like but he sounded like a big man. She could just picture him rubbing his forehead as he spoke. "And I'm going to kill him for hurting Rory's feelings." He snapped.

"Who's Rory?" She asked, brow furrowed.

"My daughter – Le's niece. She turned three yesterday and she was hoping he'd call."

Ruby winced. "Oh you tell the little angel happy birthday from me and I'll talk to Le. I know Cade was sick yesterday but that's no excuse for him to forget."

"Cade was **what**? Is he alright?"

"He's fine now, Vince – just an upset tummy. Someone gave him chocolate." The wince she heard told her he'd seen Cade in full swing while he was ill.

"Well I suppose if he didn't mean to forget – no. No, I'm still going to kill him! He made my little girl cry."

Turning on the stove, Ruby opened the bacon and got the frying pan out.

"Look, Vince – I'll talk to him when he gets up. I'm sure it was an accident. I'll even see if I can harass him into calling you."

"You tell him Aurora cried and that I'm going to beat his skull in with a fucking brick."

She giggled. "Will do, Captain. Any other orders for this humble servant of yours?"

Vince was quiet for a minute, "No – I don't think so. But could you smack him around the head for me?"

"I think I could manage that. Sounds like fun actually!"

His rumbling laughter made her smile. The man really had a friendlier demeanour than Leon. "Thanks Ruby. I'll let you go then. Sounds like you're busy."

"Alright, puddin! You take care now." She grinned. "Oh and Vince? If you ever go to Racine remember not to wake a fireman."

".. Why?"

Ruby rolled her eyes, flipping the bacon. "Because it's illegal. Bye." She hung up before he could get another word in, tossing the phone onto the counter.

She was just serving the bacon and eggs onto a plate and pouring a mug of coffee before she went to wake up Leon when he shuffled into the room. His hair was a mess and hanging in his eyes as he looked down, buttoning the fly of his jeans.

She put the coffee pot down and walked around the bench, then promptly clipped him upside the head.

He flinched, stepping back from her, baffled. "What the hell?" he rubbed at the spot where her hand had connected. It hadn't hurt, but it was instinct.

"What's the date Leon?"

He blinked at her, confused. "I don't know.. the tenth of September?" he shrugged at her and went to speak when suddenly he paled. "Oh shit."

Ruby gave him a wide eyed look. "Forget something?" She asked innocently.

Leon frowned. "How did you know that I forgot something?"

"Vince said to tell you that you made Aurora cry and that he's going to beat your head in with a brick. He also swore a lot."

His face darkened. "When did you speak to Vince?"

She pointed to the stove where there was more bacon cooking and sat at the table with her breakfast. "He called just before – I never knew you had a brother."

"I didn't think you'd care."

Ruby stopped eating and slowly turned to look at him. She dropped her fork and stood up, picking up her mug.

"I really don't know why the fuck I bother with you sometimes, Leon. All I'm trying to be is a friend and you're treating me like a leper. Make your own damn breakfast."

"Ruby!" Leon slumped against the fridge when she just walked past him and went into her room, slamming the door behind her. He thumped the fridge with the heel of his palm and ignored the pain that spiralled up his wrist. Stalking back into the living room he looked on the floor where his clothes had been and muttered a curse. He pat his pockets once more then lifted up his shirt. He couldn't see his cigarettes anywhere. "**FUCK**!"


	15. Absinthe Induced Rambling

**A/N: A great big thankyou to everyone who reviewed - really. It's nice to know that some of the people reading are actually enjoying this story.

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Leon stood in the doorway, watching Ruby throw clothes all over the room as she muttered to herself.

"Ruby, come on.."

She scoffed, holding up a silver bikini. Seemingly satisfied that was what she was looking for, she shrugged out of her robe. She knew Leon was still standing there watching her, but she couldn't bring herself to care. He knew her inside and out in the most literal sense anyway so what was the point of hiding herself from him.

"Go home, Leon." She mumbled, stepping into the bikini bottoms. Her hair hung around her face in messy waves, tousled from her running her fingers through it out of frustration. "I don't want to talk to you."

"Ruby come on – don't act like a child."

She laughed humourlessly. "Leon I **am** a child – Or I may as well be the way you treat me." Out of the corner of her eye she saw him flinch and felt a flicker of pride. She'd hit a nerve.

"You're not a child, Ruby."

She smirked, angrily tying the straps on her bikini top. "Of course not!" She spat. "You wouldn't fuck a kid, otherwise you'd be sniffing around that stupid little whore, Marissa by now."

He was growing frustrated, she could see it in his posture as she moved about the room, gathering some things to change into after she'd been swimming.

"Goddamn it Ruby! Will you just stop!" He made a grab for her arm.

She jerked away. "Go home, Leon!" she shouted. "I don't want to talk to a person who thinks I'm good enough to fuck but too low to be friends with!"

Leon's eyes flickered with rage. "Now that's a lie and you fucking know it!"

Ruby stopped, her shirt clutched tightly in her hand. She fought the tears that were pushing to the surface.

"No it's not, Le… All I'm good for is a roll in the sack to you. I thought we could be friends – I've **tried** being your friend, but you want none of it!"

"That's **not** true, Ruby! Will you goddamn listen to yourself?"

She shook her head, stuffing her clothes into the small tote bag she took to the ocean baths with her when they were teaching Cade to swim.

"What the hell am I supposed to think, Leon?" she wouldn't even look at him, "All I know is what happens – you don't tell me anything! Would you have ever told me that you had family somewhere in the country if I hadn't found out by accident?"

He stammered slightly and Ruby cut him off.

"At least you **have** a family! I spent my entire life in those groups homes, Leon! Every time a family would come to see us kids I would think 'maybe it's my turn today – maybe they'll want to take me home with them' but every single time I was left sitting in the corner while one of the prettier kids were chosen." She threw her hands up in the air. "God knows nobody wanted the weird little red headed kid in the corner! No – she talked too much, was too opinionated – nobody wanted **_her_**!"

She tugged on a pair of old sneakers and picked up her bag. "At least you have people who love you, Leon." She muttered as she pushed past him. "Wake up to yourself before you find out how lonely life can **really** be."

Leon rushed after her down the hall.

"Ruby, please! Come on, girl – I'm sorry!"

She shoved the front door open and walked out into the warm sunlight. "I don't want your pity or apologies, Leon," she called back at him, "I want you out of my house!" She strode toward the cab that was waiting, the one she'd called while Leon was still hunting for his cigarettes and beating up her fridge.

"If you're here when I get back, so help me god, Leon.."

* * *

Leon's thick fingers pressed the numbers on his phone slowly, lifting it to his ear once he was sure he'd entered the right amount of numbers. He blinked, the movement exaggerated and slow thanks to the alcohol muddling his brain.

After Ruby had left he had gone back inside, fully intending to leave until he found the bottle of Absinthe on the counter behind the cookie jar. It was there and then that he'd decided to throw caution to the wind and had taken his first sip of the potent alcohol. With every mouthful things became clearer, wounds were made more raw – the guilt got heavier.

As soon as the other end answered Leon sighed. "Hold on a minute," he said to the person on the other end, setting the phone down in his lap so he could pick up the bottle of Absinthe and take a swig. He would have been able to multi-task if it hadn't been for that impulsive fridge beating. Even drunk as he was Leon knew that his wrist was broken. It had ballooned up something horrible.

"Ok – I'm back." He told his sister in law, gazing out at the ocean. Ruby had told him to get out of her house – she never mentioned the nearby beach.

"Leon?"

He nodded, forgetting she couldn't see him in his drunken state. "I'm so sorry.."

He heard her pull up a chair and tell Vince to shush. "What for, baby?"

"I'm a bastard. Why didn't you tell me I was such a jerk?" he demanded. "She hit me and yelled at me and she got upset – and I'm a prick."

Tala sounded more than confused. "Leon have you been drinking?"

"I love him so much, Tala" he sniffled, tears welling in his eyes, "- I love him so much and I'm such a bad father. I try so hard for him."

The burn that spread across the bridge of his nose threatened to smother him and his throat closed up. He coughed, the tears forcing their way out.

"Why did she have to leave me?" he kicked at the sand, crying. "It was all my fault that she died, Tala!"

Tala's voice was shaky. "Leon it wasn't your fault – you never knew this would happen."

He snorted. "That's what she said – I took that from her you know. It wasn't mine to take but she let me anyway." He choked slightly, "So much blood – I never meant to…"

There was a silence on the other end and then Leon heard Tala telling Vince to leave the room so she could talk to him in private.

"Ok, Le – are we talking about Letty or your other friend?"

He blinked rapidly to clear his eyes of the salty moisture. "Nobody knows – I was stuck for almost an hour and he kicked me. Couldn't tell anyone Tala, not without showing them. Two hundred and thirty four stitches."

Her voice had an edge to it now. "You had **how many** stitches?"

Leon chuckled, eyeing the rapidly decreasing amount of the green alcohol in the bottle. "Ruby said I looked like a puzzle. Puzzle with zippers."

Tala covered her mouth with her hand, leaning on the kitchen table. Her eyes were swimming with tears. So far Leon had claimed he was a bad father, he'd hurt someone accidentally, it was his fault that Letty died and at some point he'd had over two hundred stitches.

"Sweetie, what are you-" she stopped, hearing his sobs. "Oh, Le.."

"She cried! I – I hurt her and she cried… never meant to make her bleed like that. My best friend.."

Tala struggled to make sense of his disjointed speech. She had the vaguest feeling that he was talking about the girl Vince had spoken to that morning. She frowned. Vince had said they were just friends.

"Do you have yourself a girlfriend, Le?"

"She's not my girlfriend," he spat, "-we just fuck. You ask her and she'll tell you." He sounded angry now, a total three sixty from the sobbing mess he'd been minutes ago. "Why didn't you tell me I was such a prick?"

"Would you have honestly believed me?" Tala asked, rubbing her eyes.

He snapped. "Yes!" there was a muted mumbling and she heard a sharp intake of air.

"I broke my wrist."

Tala sat up. "Just now?"

"No, not just now you fucking idiot – this morning when I assaulted the fridge."

"Leon Michael Orello don't you ever speak to me like that again!" She didn't mean to shout at him but his words had shocked her.

"So wrong," he muttered, seemingly ignoring her, " – should be with Let. She's not Let."

Tala got up and walked into the living room, sitting beside Vince. She picked up a pen. "Leon what's Ruby's cell number?"

He spat it out almost automatically in between garbled rambling about stars and chocolate. Tala pushed the paper at Vince and held her hand over the mouthpiece.

"Call her and tell her Leon's broken his wrist and he's completely loaded."

Vince blinked dumbly, then nodded. "Where is he?" He was already reaching for his cell phone.

She listened to him talking to himself for a moment. "Sounds like he's at a beach."


	16. The Hospital

**A/N: Ok - Biiiiiig thankyou to Buggleywoo, Dani, Betty-Boo and Jet for reviewing! You guys are wonderful! Here's to hoping you enjoy this next chapter.

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"- keeping him on the line so we can be sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

Ruby bit her lip as she climbed out of the cab and threw some money at the driver, still talking to Vince. She dumped her tote bag on the front porch before cutting through the house, grabbing a light fleecy blanket on her way through. She was walking through the kitchen when she noticed the empty space on the counter.

"Oh tell me he didn't.."

Vince's voice on the other end sounded panicked. He'd already confessed to her that he'd never seen Leon in the state he was in.

"What? What's he done?"

Ruby nudged the back door open, her phone still held to her ear. "The stupid bastard's taken my bottle of Absinthe."

"Absinthe? Leon wouldn't touch that if you forced him to."

Ruby sighed, trying to stay calm as she descended the hill to the beach. "Well it was there this morning, Vince. Alright I see him." After a quick goodbye she hung up the phone and slipped it into her pocket.

The closer she got to Leon the clearer the sound of his crying was and the worse she felt. She was still upset about their argument that morning and still angry as hell at him for implying she didn't care, but seeing him in his current state was frightening. She'd always seen him as such a strong man.

"Precious, give me the phone." She ordered lightly, draping the blanket around his shoulders. He gave it up wordlessly, just staring out at the ocean. Ruby eyed his wrist and felt ill. It had to be quadruple its normal size. He'd been suffering the entire day with it.

She stroked his hair as she knelt beside him and lifted the phone to her ear. "Alright, I'm here." She told the person on the other end.

The woman let out a sigh of relief. "Thank god – ok, his wrist.."

Ruby nodded to herself, quietly soothing Leon. "Yeah I can see it, I'm going to take him to the hospital I think."

The woman, Tala she introduced herself as, agreed it was the best idea. "He's really funny about hospitals – after Letty and all. So be forewarned, he **will** make a nuisance of himself."

"Alright, thanks for the warning." She flipped Leon's phone closed and pushed it into her other pocket.

Leon was leaning against her slightly, crying silently. "I miss her." He sniffled loudly. "She was so excited about being pregnant – she loved him so much. She always looked so beautiful." His hand dug in between them and produced his wallet. One handed and clumsy from the alcohol, he managed to produce a small picture. His thumb stroked over the image and he shook against her.

"My Letty."

Ruby was surprised when he offered it to her and she took the photo in her fingers, holding it up in the moonlight to look at it. The woman in the image was a beautiful dark haired Latino girl, her dark, dark hair tied back in a loose pony tail with wisps hanging in her face. She was sitting on the grass with her arms wrapped around a big white dog, smiling up at the camera. Her pale blue sundress did little to hide the swollen bump of her belly. She was a female Cade.

Ruby stroked Leon's head, kissing his temple. It had to hurt him to look at his son and see his lost love every day. She didn't say anything, just slipped the picture back in his wallet for him and stood.

"Come on, Le – let's go and get your wrist fixed up."

He looked up at her like he'd only just noticed she was there. "Ruby?" his brow furrowed. "You're mad at me – why are you here?"

She shook her head. He didn't remember anything from the past two minutes at all. The bottle resting at his feet had a lot to do with it she decided. There was barely anything left in it. She was surprised he was still conscious.

"Because Vince called me and told me that you'd gotten yourself drunk and hurt yourself. I'm here to help you, Leon."

He squinted up at her. "You're not mad at me any more?"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Oh I'm still mad at you – I'm just too worried to be mad at you right now. Now get up."

* * *

The doctor looked at the now sedate Leon laying on the examination table and shook her head. When he was first brought in he had caused quite the scene. He was seemingly fine until he stopped chattering to the woman he was with and looked around. As soon as he had recognised he was in a hospital the warning bells had gone off and he went from drunk and chatty to downright terrified and even a little violent. 

Dr Wheeler had looked on in abject horror as the petite red head that had come in with him threw herself in front of him and pushed him back into the wall, holding him there with her shoulder as he struggled and screamed. She had looked irritated with him at first but when he had started rambling about scars and someone named Letty her face had taken on a more sympathetic expression. Miraculously she'd managed to calm him before he had hurt anyone.

The girl, Ruby was now sitting beside him, one hand tangled in his longish hair the other stroking his face and neck.

Looking at the X-rays in front of her, Dr. Wheeler gave Leon a bemused look.

"What on earth did he do for this to happen?" she pointed to the film currently back lit.

Ruby sighed. "He beat up my fridge. We had a fight this morning and he hit the fridge after I left."

"He didn't strike you at all?"

Ruby's green eyes widened in horror. "God, no! He wouldn't do that."

The doctor gave her a suspicious look and eyed the bruise she could see on Ruby's thigh, peeking out from beneath her shorts. "Are you sure?" She noticed the girl's blush when she noticed her looking at the bruise.

"Um – that's from something else. We got a little carried away." She explained sheepishly. "He didn't hit me."

Dr Wheeler could tell she was being honest with her and nodded. "I can give you something to put on it if you like." She offered, going about preparing to apply a cast to Leon's wrist.

Ruby's face flushed a little more and she nodded. "That'd be great, thanks."

"Ruby?"

She looked down at Leon, her features soft. She was still angry at him and fully intended on taking him back to Angie's and dumping him once everything was taken care of, but letting him know that right now would only serve to upset him again.

"Yes, Leon?"

He rolled toward her slightly, his arm held to his chest in a temporary splint until it was cast. "I didn't mean it. You're my best friend."

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Then why wont you tell me anything?"

He blinked dolefully at her. "Because it hurts."

Ruby stroked his cheek, pretending not to notice the tears. He was still incredibly drunk and wouldn't remember any of it in the morning anyway.

"You can't keep running away from everything, Leon. Your family care about you! They just want-"

"I don't care what **they** want! What about what **I** want?" he snapped, growing irritated again. His moods were all over the place thanks to the alcohol and the pain was starting to kick in again.

Ruby scowled. "Leon what you want is to curl up in a corner somewhere and to fade away! You've got no right acting like such a pig when you've got another life to think about!" She ignored the hurt look on his face. "Have you ever stopped to consider how your behaviour is going to affect Cade in the long run? He's going to grow up thinking it's ok to shut people out and be a rude, insensitive prick to everyone! Do you want that for him?"

Leon looked away, shaking his head. "I try for him.."

Ruby moved aside so the doctor could get to his arm easily. "Well you don't try hard enough, Leon. I don't care if I'm out of line – you need to wake up to yourself."

Leon glared at her. "What the hell do you know?" he flinched, trying to tear his arm away from the doctor to no avail. He looked back at Ruby. "You wait until you have a kid, Ruby – then you can tell me how to raise my son!"

She shook her head and started for the door, then stopped. "This is why you've got nobody, Leon – you push and push and push, then wonder why you're so alone! I have tried so hard to be there for you over this past month but all you've done is shut me out over and over again." She grabbed her wallet, phone and Leon's keys from the bench near the door of the examination room.

"I'll drop your car off at Angie's and get her to take me home. Have fun sobering up."

"**RUBY**!"

Ruby ignored his cry as she left the room, wiping the tears out of her eyes. She cared for Leon but she couldn't deal with his mood swings any more. She'd had enough for the day. The further she got from the room the more she felt like bawling – he was screaming now. Orderlies rushed past her and into the examination room and she could hear a ruckus going on in there. She stepped up her pace and hurried out of the hospital. He'd be safe now – all she wanted to do was go home.

Once she was outside she leant against the Skyline and took a deep breath, the cool night air carrying the salty scent of the ocean on it, comforting her. She took a deep breath then walked around to the drivers side and climbed in, just sitting there for a moment.

Leaning her head against the steering wheel Ruby took a deep, shuddering breath then sat up and started the car. She took one last look at the hospital and pulled out of the parking lot. He'd be fine in there on his own.


	17. Remorse

**A/N: Thankyou to the lovely Ms Fi and Dani for their reviews - you ladies are the best. Ok - now for the update!

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".. It's me again. Look Rubes – you're right not to want to talk to me. I've been a bastard and I probably always will be." There was a silence. "You've got a beautiful smile, Ruby. Please don't stop showing it because of me. I'm truly sorry… I hope one day you'll find it in your heart to forgive me." Click.

Ruby stood with her arms wrapped around herself, staring at the answering machine. That was the fourth message on the tape – and the tape was full. She had replaced it that morning before she'd gone to work and so far each message had been from Leon. As the next one started she found herself picking up the machine and sitting it on the floor, then went to get a cushion to sit on so she could listen.

Throwing down the large euro pillow, she ran into the kitchen and retrieved the litre tub of ice cream and a spoon then went back into the living room and sat on the cushion. She tugged the blanket down off the back of the couch and draped it over her lap. It still smelled of Leon from three days earlier when she took him to the hospital.

Since then she hadn't spoken to him. It was different this time from the last – they hadn't spoken for almost two weeks then because Leon thought she wouldn't want to see him. This time though she really didn't and he'd been calling off and on all day, every day. His messages ranged from pleading and apologetic to pathetic and even sometimes inane. He was trying – desperately so – to get her to speak to him.

Ruby looked at the bunch of gerberas that lay on the table by the telephone. They'd come for her today at work and all the girls at the Spa had 'ooh'-ed and 'ah'-ed at the colourful flowers. The note with them had been simple. 'I'm sorry' was all it had said. The pink, orange, red and yellow flowers glared back at her brightly.

"You're a jerk, Leon Orello." She said to herself, looking at the flowers and tearing up. To say that she had been shocked was an understatement – more like extremely close to falling down. She'd told him a couple of weeks earlier that she loved those particular flowers – that she'd never been sent flowers before – but he hadn't been listening. At least she thought he hadn't been. When they had arrived she had been with a customer and much to her horror, she had been unable to stop the tears from coming.

She dug out another spoon full of the boysenberry swirl ice cream and stuck it in her mouth just as the next message started. The line was quiet for a moment then she heard a sigh.

"I'm starting to think you're avoiding my calls," Leon said softly, "-just a feeling I'm getting. It's overcast out and Cade's throwing paint all over Bethany. I taught him how to finger paint this morning." She could hear the soft quality in his voice when he spoke of Cade. "It's his birthday on Sunday. I just thought you should know."

The line went dead and Ruby felt her chest tightening. He sounded so resigned to the fact that he knew he would get her machine instead of her directly. He had come around the day before and left an envelope under the door filled with pictures. In pencil on the back of each was a brief explanation of who was in each.

She reached up and grabbed the envelope in her hands, her ice cream forgotten on the floor and took the bundle of pictures out. The first was a man – a big scruffy man – snarling at the camera at the same time as someone was tattooing his left arm. He was big, dirty, mean looking and his face was oh so familiar. Turning the picture over she was shocked to read _'Vince – aged 20. Three years older than me. Pre domesticated.' _She turned it back over and smirked at the picture. She thought he'd sounded big.

The next had Vince in it too, along with a small blonde woman and a beautiful little girl with dark ringlets and dimples. The little girl clung to Vince's neck like only daddy's little girl could. _'Vince – 29, Tala – 28, and Rory – 2. 10mths . Taken just before I left LA.'_ She read. They were a beautiful family. She could see just how much they adored each other from the way Vince held Tala to his side and Rory to his chest like he'd never let them go – like they were his lifeline.

Ruby sniffled, setting the picture aside to look at the next. It was a lanky blonde covered in grease wearing a sweat stained shirt with a cigarette hanging from his mouth, wiping his hands on a dirty rag. He was squinting at the camera, as if confused by it and she could see Leon leaning over a car in the background, a wide smile on his face. He looked so young, so free. Turning the picture over Ruby's suspicions about the blonde's identity were confirmed. _'Jesse – aged 19. Aka "The Mad Scientist" or "Einstein".'_ She looked at the black and white print and ran her fingers over it.

"Miss you, Jess." She whispered to the room before putting the picture down. She would have to get a copy of that one.

Ruby jumped as the phone rang just beside her head and she looked down at the machine as it clicked and whirred to life. She heard her own voice first telling whoever it was to leave a message then the beep. Silence. She could hear breathing and the finally a quiet murmur caught her ear.

"I miss you."

Those three little words were all it took. She burst into tears and gathered the photos up, put them back in the envelope and set it beside the phone. She barely even remembered to put the ice cream back in the freezer before she made her way into her room and crawled into bed. It was only seven in the evening but she felt exhausted. Her entire life had been an emotional roller coaster lately. She never thought having friends could be so difficult, then again, this was Leon. He was quiet, somber, moody – then in the next breath he could be sarcastic, witty and warm. She trusted him with her life, her safety… but he was doing her head in. Despite it all – she missed him. She missed Cade and it had only been four days since she'd seen him, three since she'd left Leon screaming in the examination room of the local hospital.

Ruby felt horrible for doing that to him. He had been so scared and she'd merely ignored his cries and kept walking. She knew that he had been a wreck the next day – that he didn't remember any of the night before so he didn't remember her leaving him, but she knew. She still knew how she had left him all alone and in pain. She was so tempted to just pick up the phone every time he called and tell him how sorry she was for doing that to him, for leaving him there like that. He wouldn't remember though – Angie had run into her at the Spa when she took Bethany in for a treatment and had told her all about his reaction the next day.

He had been sick as a dog – from both the alcohol and the pain in his wrist. He was a beer drinker, never touched anything harder so the fact that he'd knocked back almost an entire bottle of Absinthe didn't sit well in his stomach. He'd been a miserable bastard the whole day – only added to by the fact that he was sporting a hot pink cast on his arm and would be for the next six to eight weeks. He'd not remembered anything of the night before – the call to Tala, the trip to the hospital, the argument whilst there – none of it. He'd simply woken up with a killer hangover, a sore wrist and a cast on his arm. An in your face hot pink cast. He only knew that Ruby refused to even speak to him because Angie had told him so.

She had cried almost the whole way home that night, nothing Angie could say or do comforting her in the least. Ruby adored Leon, she really did and she thought of him as one of her dearest friends, but again – he had so much baggage that it was a struggle to actually find **him** in all of it. He hid himself away in all of it just hoping nobody would get close enough to make him care again. He was never overly mean **to** her when he would snap, he would just say stupid things that cut deeper than expected. He honestly never meant to do it – but he kept doing so.

Ruby pushed the blankets off her legs and climbed out of bed, padding down the hall to turn on her stereo. She couldn't stand silence – mistrusted it. After growing up in a house full of children, some loud, some quiet, she had grown too used to there being noise of some sort around her at all times. That was why she loved having Cade over. He was always into something and making a racket. She had just put her hand on the dial to switch the radio on when the phone rung shrilly beside her. She stared at it for a moment then warily, she picked it up.

"Hello?"

There was a quiet silence. ".. Rubes?"

A lump started to form in her throat and she sat on the arm of the couch. "Hi, Leon." She said softly, not sounding like herself at all. She felt a right mess. They were both silent for a minute or two.

"Can I come and see you?"

She blinked back tears and bit her lip. "I don't think that's a very good idea. Now if that's all you wanted I was just off to bed." She forced herself to refuse him. She knew that if he showed up there would be more tears and they would quite possibly end up in bed, solving nothing.

Leon sighed. "I really fucked up, didn't I?"

"I was trying to help you Leon! I got a call from Vince and the poor bastard was frantic because you'd hurt yourself and you were drunk and alone on a beach somewhere! I came to help you and you yelled at me again, Leon! I don't care how you treated your family back in LA but I will not be treated like scum on the bottom of a shoe!"

She could feel her heart racing, her anger swelling to the surface again as she thought about his attitude.

Leon sounded confused. "How did Vince get your number?"

"You called Tala, Leon. You were drunk and upset, and you called her. She got my number from you and Vince called me while she kept you on the line to make sure you didn't do anything stupid before I got to you! You're a bastard, Leon! A bastard! You've scared all of us so much and all you can think about is yourself! I'm going to bed, Le – Goodnight." She slammed the phone down and shook her head, trying to calm herself. She'd just abused him yet again. She buried her face in her hands and just sat there for a moment.

"Screw this – I don't need this shit." She reached down and twisted the phone cord in her hand and tugged it loose from the wall, then dropped it on the floor. _There… Now he **can't** call._

Crawling back into bed she tugged the blankets up over her shoulders and hugged her pillow. It smelled faintly of Leon's cologne. The tears started to drip from her eyes and soaked into the pillow and for a moment – just a moment – Ruby allowed herself to fall apart.


	18. His Internal Wreckage

**A/N: I'd like to thank Ms Fi, betty-boo, Lady LP, dogreign, Dani and Jet for their reviews - you've made my whole day, you have. Thankyou you lovely people, you. On with the update!

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The first thing Ruby saw when she walked into the back yard was Cade playing with Bethany in a mess of colourful balloons, the little boy happily kicking them all over the place. She smiled, realising just how much she'd missed his laughter. It had been a little over a week since she'd seen Cade – about three days since she heard from his father.

Leon hadn't called back after that last time she'd abused him and she found herself missing him even more.

Angie appeared at her side and kissed her cheek, taking the small gift bag from her to put with the other gifts Cade had gotten. She hugged her lightly.

"That boy has missed you something terrible." She said quietly into her ear. Ruby smiled, looking at Cade.

"I missed him too."

Angie shook her head. "I meant the big one – he's over there if you feel he's suffered enough."

Ruby looked back over her shoulder to where Angie was looking and saw Leon sitting on the deck, legs outstretched in front of him and a beer in his hand. He was watching Cade play with a strange look on his face, one of both pride and sadness. She couldn't help but smirk at the brilliant shade of pink his cast was. It stood out starkly against his dark green tank and black jeans. He hadn't noticed her there yet.

She nodded silently to Angie and handed the woman her things, coat, keys, purse etc. and started toward the deck.

She stopped briefly to check over her clothes. Her halter top was bone coloured and corset styled in the front with a rusty red embroidered dragons around the neckline and her skirt fell to just below the knee – a myriad of different browns in a patchwork design. Strappy tan heeled sandals adorned her feet and her wrists were littered with bangles and bracelets.

Ruby took a deep breath and tucked her hair back behind her ears and blew her fringe out of her eyes then started up the side steps toward Leon. Her heels clacked on the decking, the sound hollow and almost unbearably loud to her ears. He was either thoroughly enthralled in watching his son or he was ignoring her approach because he didn't turn at the sound. Once at his side she bent and plucked the beer bottle from his hand – this time he looked up – and carefully lowered herself to sit sideways across his thighs.

He looked at her dumbly as she curled into his shoulder, allowing her to lift his arm up around her back and drape it around her waist.

Ruby carefully tucked her skirt around her legs as not to expose anything to anyone and Leon's hand tightened on her hip just a touch. More like a light squeeze.

"Can we not fight again, Le?" She could hear him swallow and his hand moved higher up to hold her side.

"I never meant to-"

Ruby put her fingers over his mouth. "No more apologies," her eyes searched his face and she smiled, albeit sadly, "You're a wreck, aren't you, precious."

He met her eyes and gave the slightest nod, barely even noticeable. "This is Cade's day." He stated softly, lifting his knees slightly. Ruby slid a little further down his thighs and as a result was even closer. She ignored his breath on her neck and touched his cast.

"It's very pink, isn't it."

He grunted. "Thanks for that, by the way." He muttered, carefully taking a sip of his beer around her.

Ruby smirked. "Oh that wasn't me, precious – I picked the green for you because I know green is your favourite colour. The pink had to have been Angie."

Leon paused mid swallow and gave her an apprehensive look. She nodded slowly and he turned to look at Angie, his brow quirked. As soon as he saw her laughing he knew Ruby was telling him the truth.

He swallowed and shook his head. "Son of a bitch.."

Ruby sniggered against him for a moment before manoeuvring her way out of his lap and stood up, brushing her skirt free of any wrinkles. She caught him staring at her and looked over herself.

"What?"

He blinked rapidly, then shook his head. "Uh.. no, nothing. Nothing." He looked at her feet. "I can see your ankles… and you're wearing a skirt."

She looked down self consciously. "I wanted to look pretty – should I go home and change?"

Leon shook his head emphatically. "No! No, you look great – it's just unusual to see is all." He looked her over again and Ruby felt herself blush. "I like the," he made a motion with his hand around his neck, "- the dragon thingies.."

Ruby stifled a giggle. "It's embroidery, Leon." She looked back over toward the yard and smiled when she saw Cade coming toward her. "I'm going to go and see Cade."

Leon nodded wordlessly, looking down at his beer bottle. He waited until he heard her heels leave the deck before he lifted the bottle to his lips and drained the remainder. He frowned at the empty bottle.

"This isn't right." He muttered to himself. "Not fucking right at all."

* * *

Ruby sat beside Leon on the deck, her feet tucked up beneath her, shoes long forgotten. She was tucked into his side, his right arm wrapped around her back to shield the exposed skin from the cool night air. 

Everyone had gone home hours ago and Cade was in bed sleeping like a log after his long, eventful day. There had been cake, balloons, presents.. He had gotten the most out of his day. He'd even gotten his father's full and undivided attention the entire afternoon.

Ruby suspected that had been largely due to the fact that Leon was desperately trying not to remember that it was the anniversary of Letty's death as well as Cade's birthday. The little boy had kept him distracted but now he was asleep, Leon's mind was left susceptible to the dark thoughts that loitered in the back of his mind. She could feel the tension growing in him as she rested against his side. She watched him lift the packet of cigarettes to his mouth and catch one between his lips, then throw the pack back down to the deck at his side. He lit it and tossed his lighter down.

Ruby slid her hand across his abdomen and his arm squeezed her slightly. He knew she was still there. He wasn't that lost in his own thoughts.

"I want to show you something." He said quietly, extinguishing his cigarette by dropping it into his beer bottle. He unwrapped his arm from around Ruby and stood, holding his hand out to her.

Ruby frowned, but slipped her hand into his and let him help her to her feet. She went to pull her hand back when his tightened. Obviously he wasn't ready to let go yet.

"Where are we going?" She asked as he lead her inside and past the few remaining members of Angeline's family. There were a few stammered good nights as they walked through the kitchen and into the den. She walked after him, confused. "Le?"

He stopped outside a doorway down a side hall and urged her inside, then followed. Sitting on the desk, he pointed to the wall behind her.

Ruby gave him a bemused look then turned and her jaw promptly dropped. The picture she was looking at was one of the most beautiful portraits she had ever seen. The blues, the golds, the silvers.. The woman. It was Letty. He was showing her Letty.

He cleared his throat.

"Her name was Leticia Ashlyn Costas. She was eighteen in that picture." He smiled to himself, looking at his fingers. "She was so nervous – I was nervous painting her like that – but she did it anyway as a favour to me."

Ruby moved to sit beside him but didn't touch him. Now didn't feel like the right time to initiate affection between them.

Leon looked back up at the picture and pointed slightly before allowing his hand to drop back against his thigh.

"That's how I saw her. It's the only way I could think of showing everyone else what she looked like to me – she was my stars."

This time he took **her** hand and Ruby turned slightly to face him, but so she could still look at things as he pointed them out.

"Were you together then?"

He shook his head. "No – she was with Dominic then. Five long years she was with Dominic and those five years I loved her." He opened his mouth to speak and his eyes turned glassy. "She – she was so unhappy with him, Ruby. I'd watch him treat her badly and I'd think 'why can't she see?' – so that's why when I painted her, I painted her like that.'

"She spent her life in darkness but there were these tiny little things about her that would still shine, still made her beautiful – no matter how dark or cold she got. Even being so unhappy she was still more than Dom could ever dream she could be. She still shined to me."

Ruby leant her head against his shoulder and looked up at the picture of Letty.

"That's why you made her the night sky? Because she still shined through the dark?"

Leon nodded, dropping his head to touch hers. "Exactly. She never went out." He sniffled. "Well not until I got my hands on her."

"Leon.."

He shook slightly, his arm around her.

"She was shaking me and I could think was 'please, Let – I'm tired'," his voice wavered and he swallowed thickly, "- I should have woken up sooner. Cade had been in distress for a while and she'd been bleeding… She was terrified and I wouldn't wake up."

Ruby's eyes widened as she realised what she was hearing. She wrapped her arms around him ready to hold onto him if need be. He was still staring up at the picture.

"She was crying and holding her belly, holding Cade," he looked down at her and shook his head, tears were rolling down his face, "- I didn't know what to do, so I called Tala. She told me to call the ambulance. I should have done that straight away, Rubes. I wasted time and I killed her."

Ruby closed her eyes and she gathered him against her, one hand rubbing his back the other running over his hair. She rocked him slightly.

"You didn't kill her, precious." She bit her lip when she felt the moisture from his tears hot against her collarbone, dripping down her skin. "None of this was your fault. None of it."

"If I hadn't gotten her pregnant-"

"If you hadn't gotten her pregnant you wouldn't have a son that adores you. I didn't know Letty but I'm sure she wouldn't want you to be so miserable, would she?"

He sniffled, arms wrapped loosely around her waist. "No." he admitted grudgingly.

Ruby stroked his hair and kissed his forehead. "Then stop blaming yourself for something that you couldn't have done anything about – you called an ambulance, Leon. You got her to the hospital. It wasn't your fault." She let go of him as he sit up and looked at him. His face was wet from tears and his eyes were red.

She grabbed the hem of her skirt and lifted, wiping the moisture away from his cheeks. Her bangles jingled quietly and Leon laughed slightly at the concentrated expression she wore as she went about cleaning him up.

"Now," Ruby slid to the floor, "- I think you should get yourself to bed and get some rest." She tugged him from the desk and out the door, walking him to his room. Once at the door she urged him inside but he didn't move.

"Would – would you stay?"

Ruby frowned. "Leon – I don't think.."

"Sleeping. Only sleeping." He stated softly at her tone. "Please.."

She looked at him looking all pathetic and dejected and just knew he was going to have a rough night. She bit her lip and looked at her feet, then back up at his face. He looked like she'd already said no.

"I'll have to borrow some clothes to sleep in." She told him, holding out her skirt.

Leon nodded, letting her into the room first and going to get her something to put on. He came back and handed her a pair of cotton boxers and a tank, then went to close the door.

Ruby slipped out of the skirt and draped it across the bed end, then stepped into the boxer shorts. She had to fold them at the waist a couple of times but they would do. She was just undoing the hooks and eyes on the front of her top when she happened to glance over and saw Leon fighting with the button on his jeans.

"Need help?"

He looked up and shook his head. "No – I got it."

She shrugged lightly, pulling the tank over her head and climbed into the big old bed. She watched Leon kick his jeans off and to the side before he climbed into bed beside her. He looked at her warily for a moment before shimmying across to wrap his arm around her waist and pull her to him. He sighed against her neck.

"Thank you, Rubes."

She smiled at his whisper and nestled closer. "Goodnight, Le."


	19. Ouchies Of The Shiny Variety

**A/N: Ok - Ms Fi, Dani, betty-boo and Jet - thankyou all so much for your reviews, and thankyou to all the other people who read but didn't review as well. I know you're reading - i have a hit counter people!.. stupid damn thing..**

* * *

"No."

"Oh come on – live a little."

"I'm perfectly capable of living without an extra hole in my body!"

* * *

Leon glowered up at Ruby from his spot on the bed. "I can't believe you talked me into this." He muttered, looking down as the tattooed lady wiped an alcohol swab across his left nipple. He flinched at the cool drag across his skin and looked at the woman. 

"Is this going to hurt?"

She smirked as she snapped on the wrist of her rubber gloves and picked up a clamp. "Not at all." She told him, pinching his nipple between the clamp.

Leon winced, silently holding his hand out to Ruby. Once her fingers were tightly gripped in his he looked at her.

"I think I'm going to throw up."

Ruby giggled, sitting beside him as she watched the woman prepare the needles. "It'd just be like getting bitten really hard."

Leon frowned, incredulous. "That **hurts**, Ruby!" He whimpered as he noticed the piercer watching him. "Oh god.."

The blonde woman shook her head, looking at Ruby with a quirked brow. "Is he always this much of a pussy?"

"No," Ruby squeezed his hand. "He's usually pretty good."

The woman gestured to the hot pink cast on Leon's wrist. "Did you cry?"

He shook his head. "It hurt a little, but it wasn't so bad."

"Then you've got nothing to worry about." She held up a needle. "Alright, this is a canula. I'm going to push it through your nipple and then thread the jewellery in – it'll all be over in under a minute."

Leon nodded, calmer now and looked down as she pressed it to the side of his nipple.

"Ow.. ow, ow, ow." He blinked at the woman's confused look. "Just getting it out of the way."

Ruby clipped him in the side of the head and leaned forward to watch, enthralled. They did piercing at the Spa but she had never sat in and actually watched it being done. Now here Leon was doing it just because she'd harped at him about being boring. She grinned up at his less than confident face. He was really scared. Her grin dimmed slightly and she ran her thumb across his knuckles, then dotted a kiss onto his palm.

He was too busy watching her to realise that the needle was being pushed through until it was too late. His face contorted with pain and he let out a loud four lettered curse.

"You could have warned me!"

Ruby shrugged, winking at the woman. "Where's the fun in that?" she stood up and leaned over him, grinning at the shiny gold hoop hanging from the sensitive bud. "That looks hot, Le."

He was still glaring at her, but his head ducked to see. He went to touch it but stopped and made a quiet noise in the back of his throat. "I suppose it's not so bad." He muttered, brows furrowed. "It hurts."

The piercer laughed as she checked to make sure the bead in the centre of the ring was secure.

"It should do for a little while – it'll be tender. Now try not to play with it too much for the first six weeks, you don't want to risk infection."

Leon prodded at the skin around it. "Can I go swimming?"

"In the ocean, absolutely – I wouldn't recommend a chlorine pool. They're breeding grounds for bacteria."

He nodded, pulling his shirt back on. "Anything else?"

The woman handed him a sheet of paper as they walked back out to the front of the shop. "That tells you what you can and can't do – how to take care of it. Just get in contact if something seems wrong."

After paying and thanking her, Leon followed Ruby out onto the street, still frowning. He held a hand over the sore spot and winced. "That seriously fucking hurts now."

She grinned, bouncing on the spot. Her bracelets and anklets jingled at the movement and her skirts swayed around her ankles in a multitude of colours. She grabbed his shirt at the waist and bunched it up over his chest right there in the street. Her bubbly laughter made him feel less self conscious about the bystanders staring at them. She was blissfully oblivious to the looks she was getting, as usual.

"I love it – do you like it? You have to like it too."

Leon shrugged, letting her do as she pleased. "It's ok, I guess." He busied himself reading over the care instructions as she ogled his new piercing and exposed him to the entire street.

"Just ok?" She eased his shirt back down, smoothing it over his abdomen with her ringed fingers. "What do you mean it's ok?"

He didn't even look away from the sheet of paper. "I'll know how much I like it when I can play with it."

"That's six weeks!"

Leon nodded, folding the paper and tucking it into his back pocket. "We'll see then."

Ruby hooked her arm around his and skipped along beside him, the older man watching her out of the corner of his eye with a bemused expression on his face as they walked down the street toward the park. Bethany was waiting for them with Cade. She had no clue what they'd been up to but had agreed to watch him until they got back.

"Are you quite alright?" He asked, lulled by the sound of all the jingling metal. He never thought he'd get used to that.

Ruby nodded. "Couldn't be better." She stopped. "Well – unless I got a piggy back that is."

Leon stared at her blankly. "You've got to be kidding me." He looked at her for a moment, then rolled his eyes. "Alright, fine." He shook his head at her squeal of glee and turned around, bending back slightly. Her arms wrapped around his neck and he hooked her legs over his arms then lifted, settling her on his back.

Ruby rested her chin on his shoulder as he walked along, her wrists draped down over his chest.

"This is my first piggy back you know."

Leon stopped and set her down on a nearby ledge, then turned to look at her. "Are you kidding? Tell me you are."

She rubbed her arms self consciously, then tucked her hair back behind her ear and adjusted the flower Cade had given her earlier.

"I grew up in the home, Leon." She said quietly, "I didn't have a mother or father or older sibling to give me one. Is that wrong?"

He ran a hand over her smooth hair. "Of course it's not – it's just a little sad that you didn't get a piggy back until you were nineteen."

Ruby smiled shyly. "You seem to be giving me a lot of firsts." She didn't dare look at his face after she'd said that, only looked at her swinging feet off the edge of the wall she was perched on. His hand curled around her calf just beneath her skirt, his thumb rubbing a small circle over the lily white skin.

"You don't have to be embarrassed, Ruby," he said softly, resting his head against the swell of her breast, "-not with me." He was standing between her knees, his one good hand still on her calf the other with the cast on just resting against her knee.

She nodded, smiling a little more confidently now. "I know – I may be a slow learner but you wouldn't laugh at me."

Leon pulled his head away and blinked at her. "Slow learner? Jesus.." he shook his head and turned back around, this time ducking lower and drawing her legs over his shoulders. "You're not a slow learner."

Ruby flushed at his matter of fact tone and squeaked when he stood up straight, lifting her with him. Nervously she grabbed hold of his shirt just at the front of his shoulders. His arms were firmly holding her in place over six feet off the ground. All previous conversation was forgotten.

"Never done this either?"

She shook her head furiously. "Nope – hands, Leon! Hands!" She grabbed for his hand when he lifted it to her and held on tight. After a few more paces she started to relax and by the time they'd reached the park she was completely calm, loving every minute of it.

She scanned the grassy area looking for Bethany and Cade, then pointed them out when she saw them.

"Over there!"

"Ruby – you're above me. Be a little clearer!" he snapped.

She wriggled her toes, grinning. "Oops – over there, to your left." She waited until Leon had sat on one of the benches before sliding back onto the back of the seat and fixing her skirts.

He quirked a brow at her. "So how was your five minutes as a kid?"

Ruby grinned, hopping down to walk beside him. "It was fun – thankyou."

She looped her arm around his again and leant her head against his bicep as they walked. He was actually making an effort not to shut her out lately. He still had his pig headed 'I don't need you' moments, but the fact that he was trying comforted her. She was still his sounding board when he was angry although now he didn't take it out on her, or her fridge. They'd not had sex since the night before their fight almost a month earlier either – he was determined not to push that on to her at any cost. Ruby found herself comforted by the fact that he just wanted to spend time with her and Cade, not just sleep with her as it felt like they'd been doing before. They felt more like friends now – albeit friends who occasionally shared a bed.

"Don't tell Cade about the ring." Leon muttered as they got closer, "He'll grab it."

Ruby nodded. "Not a word."

Leon glanced down at her. "I still can't believe you talked me into that," he shook his head slowly, "-you're so getting something done. Be it a piercing or a tattoo, you're doing something stupid like I did."

"Only way I'll get a tattoo is if it's something small, I can hide it if I want to and I want you to design it."

He paused mid step, "You want me to design it?" He hadn't picked up anything to do with his art since he'd left LA two months earlier. "Why?"

"Because your art is beautiful, precious." She shrugged. "I don't want anything tacky to be permanently plastered across my skin."

Leon gave her a hesitant look, then slowly nodded. "I – alright, I suppose. What do you like?"

"Fairies," Ruby grinned, "I love fairies."

He nodded to himself as she ran ahead and buried his hands in his pockets. For the first time in over two months, almost three, his head was starting swim with ideas. She'd said one word and already his fingers were itching to start sketching out designs for her. It felt strange being inspired again. Still, she'd have to wait until he could properly hold a pencil before anything was done. It was another two weeks before his cast was removed.

Taking a deep breath, Leon followed her toward his son and little sister.


	20. It Took A Sunset To Get Me To See

**A/N: I'd like to thank Gorgeous, Betty-boo, Jet and Dani for reviewing.. and reading of course.. and thankyou to all the others that have read too. Your feedback means the world to me. Very inspiring and whatnot.**

**

* * *

**Leon hooked his finger beneath the strap of Ruby's bikini top, his hand snaking beneath it to rub the cool sun tan lotion into her skin. He looked to the side as he did so, watching Cade playing with Bethany and one of her friends – one of the nice ones. 

Ruby winced when his fingers dug in slightly. "Le – watch it, babe."

He looked back at her and saw the red mark against her skin, immediately feeling bad for harming her. He seemed to be doing that a lot.

It was now three weeks after he'd gotten his nipple pierced, one since he'd had his cast removed and he'd promised Cade a trip to the beach with Ruby and Bethany. He was growing more confident in the water and wanted to try a real beach instead of just the ocean baths. Unfortunately Beth's friends had decided to tag along and with each passing moment Leon was becoming more and more irritated with them. Sure she had a few decent ones, but they were far outnumbered by the bitchy ones. He could feel his skin crawling with the knowledge that her little friend Marissa was still hanging around and had in fact accompanied them on their little outing.

Ruby turned beneath his hands and in his distraction he didn't notice until she was facing him and his hands were dangerously close to her breasts. She flushed pink and looked at his hands, then his face.

"I never picked you for an exhibitionist."

He cleared his throat and slid them higher, his skin still slick with the coconut scented lotion.

"Accident." He replied quietly, working the sweet smelling substance into her shoulders. "I can't believe they're here."

Ruby didn't even glance at them, too busy retying the ties on the hips of her bikini bottoms. Her fingers twisted in the off white suede like material.

"Ignore them – we're here to have fun with Cade, not the slut puppies."

He chuckled at her use of words and shook his head, stepping back and away from her. He looked her over.

"One decent wave and that top is gone."

Ruby waved him off. "Oh, who's going to see anyway?" she rechecked the ties on her bottoms and stood up straighter, "Did you need any help with your back?"

He screwed up his nose. "Why would I bother?"

She looked at the healthy bronze glow his skin had and made a murmured sound of agreement. Her eyes honed in on the piercing and she grinned. "Has he seen that yet?"

Leon gave her an 'are you stupid?' look and shook his head. "Nobody but you knows about it," he glanced at the gaggle of teens out of the corner of his eye, "-though I get the feeling it's going to make the six o clock news later once they find out."

Ruby laughed, turning to walk toward Bethany, Cade and her friend, Shelley. "Oh the horror." She turned, walking backward. "It looks sexy, Le – show it off."

He frowned, kicking his scuffs off. "Yeah great – another reason to be stared at." He muttered to himself, bending to gather Ruby's scattered clothing and set it aside with his and Cade's things. He looked up when he heard his name being called. More specifically, 'daddy' being called. Cade was slung over Ruby's shoulder and she was making for the shore line with the screaming and giggling little boy wriggling in her arms. Cade was reaching toward him, still laughing, but calling him to be saved.

Leon smirked and started after them at a light jog, easily plucking Cade from Ruby's shoulders before setting him on the damp sand and hoisting Ruby up into his arms.

She screamed. "Leon! What are you doing!" her arms clung feebly around his neck as he swung her out in front of him and pitched her into the water, her outraged shouting amusing not only him, but Cade was in fits of laughter.

Bethany was standing beside the little boy holding his hand and shaking her head. "That was harsh, big brother."

He lifted a brow and started toward her, snatching her from beside Cade and doing much the same thing to her as he'd done to Ruby. He stood innocently beside his son, tiny hand in his, as the two sodden women emerged.

Cade tugged on his hand and he looked down. Big brown eyes stared up at him hopefully. "Me too?"

Leon carefully scooped Cade up into his arms and walked a little ways out to Ruby. She saw his intentions and crouched in the water, ready to grab Cade as soon as he went under.

"One, two, three.." he threw him to Ruby, the little boys delighted laughter bringing a smile to his face.

Bethany stood nearby with a couple of her friends. "I didn't think you knew how to do that, Leon."

He frowned. "What? Throw someone?"

She shook her head, tying her long blonde locks back so they didn't get all tangled. "No – smile."

Ruby giggled from her seat in the water, a splashing Cade held to her chest. "He smiles all the time."

"Not at home he doesn't."

Leon looked around self consciously, ignoring the strange looks the teens were giving him. He reached for Cade and helped Ruby up, long fingers carefully righting a twisted strap on her top. She watched, grinning.

"I have a hand maid."

He snorted in disbelief. "You did **not** just call me a hand maid." He looked at Cade. "We get her?"

The little boy nodded, already loving it. "Get Miss Ruby."

Her eyes widened and she took off running, slowed dramatically by the water. Leon looked at Cade.

"Do you mind going to Bethy while I catch her?"

He shook his head and his arms were already reaching for Bethany. She took him with a smile of adoration – she loved her little pseudo nephew.

Backing up in the water, Leon gave Cade a grin. "Tackle her?"

"Yeah!"

"Ok – be right back and then we'll swim." He spun on his heel and took off after her, easily catching up. His arms curled around her waist as he lunged at her, dragging her down into the water with him.

Ruby screamed, laughing the whole time. Her arms curled around his neck when she noticed his smile dim slightly and his eyes settle on the water.

"What's the matter, precious?" She asked, concerned. He lay his head against her chest for a moment, his breath hot against her wet skin.

"I'm having fun." He mumbled. "It's not supposed to be fun like this."

Ruby pressed her cheek to the top of his head, sitting in his lap in the water. "You're allowed to live, Leon." Her fingers ran through his hair. "It's not going to kill you if you're happy and it means no disrespect either. It means you're accepting things."

He sniffled. "I don't want to accept it." He lifted his head, "I miss her – Cade's getting so big and she's missing everything." He looked back toward where Bethany was waiting with Cade, watching them. "He'll never know her."

Ruby smiled gently at him, climbing to her feet. "He'll know her through you, Leon. All you have to do is tell him about her when he asks and you wont need to worry about them being strangers."

Leon looked up at her from the water, still sitting on his ass. Water lapped at his chest. "You're my best friend, Ruby. You really are."

She smiled brightly at him and held out her hand. When he'd first told her that she'd had her doubts about how sincere he'd been, being drunk and all, but hearing it from him while he was sober as a judge lifted her spirits. Things were still fragile between them, but he was talking a little more now and actively trying not to be a total jerk – not to say that he wasn't still a jerk occasionally, just not a total one like he'd been in the past.

"Come on, Cade's waiting."

He looked toward Cade and nodded, taking her hand to stand up. No sooner was he standing when he staggered forward slightly. Ruby had jumped on his back. His hands automatically took a hold of her thighs as they slipped round his waist and he was all too aware of her breasts pressed to his back. He stomped down the guilt at feeling that way about his friend and looked back slightly.

"On?"

She wriggled slightly and tightened her legs around him. "Yep! Hi ho silver."

Leon shook his head, starting back toward Cade, Bethany and his worst nightmares. "You're a freak." He flinched as her hand slapped down on his wet chest and left a bright red welt behind. "Oh, I'm going to kill you.."

She giggled in his ear. "Ooh – with?"

He shook his head, trying not to smile. "Again – you're a freak."

* * *

Bethany watched in quiet contemplation as Leon and Ruby made their way back toward them, talking quietly amongst themselves. She could tell they were genuinely at ease with each other and that's what made her wonder. 

Leon _really_ didn't like to be touched – he'd go as far as almost throwing himself in the opposite direction to avoid even an accidental brushing of hands, yet he was perfectly comfortable with Ruby being draped over him at present moment. Bethany grinned to herself. Either they were secretly together, or sometime soon they would be. He smiled more when Ruby was around, became more animated. They were always touching each other and although she knew Ruby was a genuinely affectionate person, Leon wasn't. It warmed her to know that he was healing, it was happening slowly, but he was finally starting to heal.

Her mother told her that Leon had become the way he was after his lover had died giving birth to Cade and now to see him finally starting to brighten made them happier than he knew. For a while there they, the family, had been concerned that he was going to do himself some harm, especially in the days leading up to Cade's birthday. Then Ruby had showed up and it was like his foundations strengthened, he'd become just that little bit more stable. He was slowly starting to come out of his shell – though he was still that broken youth she'd met so many years ago in the hospital.

She remembered it clear as day. She had fallen off her bike and cut her leg on the pedal so her mother had taken her to the hospital. It had all been so frightening for her. Being five and in such a great big place with so many people had been scary and she had spent the first ten minutes with her head buried in her mothers side crying. Then she had seen him, Leon, sitting in the bay next to her.

He was watching her quietly, his eyes so dark and lonely that she had been unable to ignore the pull toward him. He'd been topless and his jaw was an angry red where he'd just had some stitches removed, his side covered in tiny little blue stitches and raised lines of scar tissue. When she asked what he'd done, he'd told her he fell down and her mother's face had nearly crumpled. At the time Bethany didn't know what he'd meant, but now she did. He hadn't fallen at all – he'd been thrown. To an outsider now they had no clue of what he'd been through, all they saw was an arrogant man who had little regard for others feelings. But she knew better – she knew beneath it all he was a kind, genuinely wonderful person. All he had to do was find level ground before he could start showing it – from what she was seeing, Ruby seemed to be that level ground.

Cade's hand slipped from hers as Leon got closer and he held his arms out to his father, timidly walking through the shallow water toward him.

Ruby dropped from Leon's back and he bent to scoop his little boy into his arms, holding him up in the air above his head.

"You want to swim now?"

Cade was giggling and kicking his legs in the air, holding onto Leon's wrists. "Yeah – Miss Ruby too?"

Leon nodded, beaming up at his son. "Maybe if you ask her real nicely she'll say yes," he winked, "- works for me." He laughed when Ruby's hand connected with his arm.

Bethany watched with a grin on her face as the pair bantered back and forth, walking off to do their own thing with Cade while she hung with her friends.

Marissa appeared at her side. Her face had a sour look on it. "Are they dating?"

She turned and looked at her friend, wondering why she still even spoke to her. She rolled her eyes.

"He's made it abundantly clear how he feels about you, Marissa. Give it up. Like he said," she started to wade into deeper water, "- a real man wouldn't be interested in a child."

"That didn't answer my question!"

Bethany rolled her eyes. "Oh for gods sake.. I don't know! Who cares if they are or aren't. All I know is that they're good friends. Stop making a fool of yourself."

Marissa huffed. "I am **not** making a fool of myself!"

Shelley, one of the only select few of Bethany's friends that Leon could stand, growled angrily.

"He hates you, Marissa! Get over it and go and find someone else to stalk!"

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Leon slid his arm around Ruby's waist, leaning down to press a slow, lazy kiss to her cheekbone. She leant up into it, grinning. Everyone was feeling mellow and relaxed from the long day of kicking back on the beach. 

"I'll drop the girls off, get Cade all bathed and into bed then I'll come over." He drew back from her, "Is that ok?"

Ruby looked up at him, slowly nodding. "If I'm not in the house I'll probably be on the patio or in the hammock."

He nodded, lifting Cade so he could give her a hug and kiss goodbye.

Ruby cuddled the little boy to her, kissing his cheek. "You be good for Daddy now, alright?"

Cade yawned against her shoulder, snuggling in. "'es Miss Ruby." He made a sound of protest when Leon's big hands curled around him and lifted him away from her, but he was soon nestled against his father's wide shoulder and dozing contently.

Leon ran his hand over Cade's head but looked at Ruby. "I'll see you in a few."

"Alright, precious. Drive carefully."

He smirked, backing toward the car. "Always."


	21. Ruby's Secret

**A/N: Big thankyou to leslienicolespeaks, scorching-reality, oh gorgeous one (touch the chainmail and die), betty-boop, Jet,Dani and dogreign - thankyou so much for reviewing!**

**Alright - this chapter contains content that may upset/offend some. It's a very delicate subject and hopefully, i've handled it in a satisfactory manner.. Hopefully. Let me know.

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Ruby stretched, her eyes still closed. Once she had gotten home from the beach she had showered and laid down on her bed still in her towel – just for a minute while she gathered her bearings and listened to some music. She must have dropped off because when she woke up the sun had long since sunk beneath the horizon and it was dark out. Her room held a barely there muted glow from the moonlight coming through the window and the hall light peeked in through the partly opened door.

She sighed, arching her back then relaxing back against the covers languidly. Her hand dropped to her face, just beginning to rub her eyes when she felt a weight creeping up the bed on either side of her, the brush of skin and denim against her legs.

"Are you still sleeping?" Came the rough whisper, ghosting over her skin. She shivered, cracking her eyes open and blinking in the dark.

Leon's long fingers dipped beneath the top edge of the towel tied around her and worked the knot loose, dragging the edge back from over her and exposing her. He looked up to her face and saw her watching him, then dipped his head back to press a wet kiss over her abdomen, just above her naval.

"I think I might be." She answered, her stomach fluttering as his tongue traced from her navel up over her ribs, between the valley of her breasts and up to her collar bone.

He smiled against her skin, nuzzling the warm flesh. "You have dreams about me?" His fingers traced over her hips lightly, his eyes watching her shift beneath him trying to get him to touch her more.

Ruby flushed in the dim light, just enough for him to notice. "Well if I didn't before, I will now." She answered, timidly tugging at the back of his tank from the waist of his jeans. He drew back from her, kneeling on the bed and reached behind him, pulling the black fabric up over his head. No sooner had the shirt hit the floor were her fingers working at his belt buckle, tugging the leather strap undone.

Leon watched her hands pull the belt free of his belt loops and heard the clunk as it hit the floor along with his shirt, his eyes still on her fingers – now unbuttoning his jeans. She was sitting up now, her breath hot against his belly and he lifted a hand to tangle in her hair. Her jade green eyes looked up at him and she smiled meekly, ducking her head to avoid his intense gaze. His fingers dipped beneath her chin and tilted her head up to look at him.

"Are you ok with this?"

Her only response was to lean forward and dart her tongue out to trace the warm skin below his belly button. She breathed in the slightly salty scent of his skin. He'd obviously showered but the scent of ocean water still clung to his skin faintly.

His breath caught and he groaned low in the back of his throat. "Is that a yes?"

Ruby grinned, her knees bent on either side of him, her fingernails scraping across the dip of his lower back. She looped her fingers into two of the back belt loops of his jeans and tugged slightly.

"That's a 'hurry up and get your pants off before I change my mind'."

Leon backed off the bed and undid his zipper, shucking out of the heavy denim before crawling back onto the bed and between her legs. His mouth moulded to hers as he gently eased her back into the blankets, one hand tangled in the hair on the back of her head and the other slipping between her thighs. He swallowed her cries against his mouth, then carefully slid his hands around to the back of her thighs and lifted her legs to hook around his waist.

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Ruby rolled onto her side, her face etched with discomfort as she slipped from beneath Leon's heavy weight. She rubbed her stomach and blew out a deep breath. 

"Figures," she muttered, recognising the familiar cramping feeling. She winced, slipping out of the bed and flicking on the bedside lamp to make sure she hadn't bled on the sheets. She'd hate to have to wake Leon and explain to him why she needed to change the sheets at three in the morning. Seeing no sign of any stain, she slumped, relieved then flicked off the lamp so the light didn't wake Leon and made for the bathroom.

With every step closer she got to the bathroom the worse her cramps got and she found herself sliding her hand against the wall. She grimaced at a particularly sharp, grabbing pain that hit as she stepped into the bathroom. Her long fingers curled around the basin of the sink and she took a deep breath, then opened the medicine chest to grab out a tampon. She could feel the blood slicking between her thighs and she frowned in disgust, then a little bit of confusion. She never bled like this.

"What the hell?" she mumbled, wincing at the sudden sharp pain in her lower abdomen and her hand moved to rub over the tensed muscles. She went to reach for her tampax when she looked at the small calendar she kept in the medicine chest and her heart almost stopped beating. She plucked the small laminated piece of card from the chest and looked at it, trembling.

"Oh my god.." she whispered to herself, trembling fingers coming up to cover her mouth. It had been almost nine weeks since her last period. That meant she was five weeks late. She looked down at the blood coating her thighs and whimpered, dropping the calendar in the sink. "Oh shit," her voice shook as she whispered quietly to no-one else but the room around her.

She was pregnant. A sob started to swell in her chest when she saw the blood again. **Was** pregnant.

Backing up toward the shower, Ruby felt the first of her tears pushing free and burning down her cheeks, her shoulders shaking as she twisted the taps on. As she stepped under the hot spray of the shower her eyes were drawn to the pink stained water as it swirled down the drain. Inside she was screaming – that pink stain was her baby being washed away like some unimportant dirt that marred her skin. She watched through her tears as all traces were washed away and grief hit her like a tonne of bricks. Her baby – Leon's baby – hadn't even had a chance.

Her heart jumped into her throat and she choked on her tears. "Leon.." she thought of him sleeping peacefully in the bedroom and squeezed her eyes shut. He couldn't handle knowing about this – not now. Not after everything that had happened and the progress he'd been making lately. It would destroy him to know that she'd been stupid enough to get pregnant in the first place, but for her to go and mess things up even more by having a miscarriage.. That he didn't need.

She leant against the tiles, her arms wrapped around her middle as she cried silently. Her breathing was slow and deep as she struggled to remain the least bit composed. If she broke down there and then she would wake Leon and he would come in to see what was the matter and then he would find out. She had no intention of him finding out.

Standing up straight, Ruby reached out and turned the water off, wrapping the thick black bath sheet around her that Leon usually used whenever he stayed over. She was dreading having to run back to the bedroom to get herself some clothes when she realised she'd brought some panties and a tank in earlier to get dressed in after her shower and hadn't bothered with them. They were still sitting on the top of the hamper.

She stood there for a moment, just wrapped in the towel and stared at the open medicine chest. She bit her lip to keep from crying as she took out a pad and carefully got dressed.

Her stomach was cramping like mad, almost doubling her over with each painful twist and she felt miserable, desperately wanting to just curl up in the corner and sob until she couldn't breathe any more.

Pushing the big black towel into the hamper, Ruby sniffled, rubbing at her red eyes. She couldn't go back to bed like this. Her hair was wet and a mess, she was shaking and she was quite possibly ready to break down at any given moment. He'd know something was wrong with her right away.

She plucked a smaller towel from the pile of clean ones beneath the sink and wrapped it around her hair, then quietly opened the bathroom door. The rest of the house was still in silence and she sighed. She hadn't woken Le. He got such a small amount of sleep as it was that any sleep he did get was precious. She padded down the hall, still clutching her belly and pushed the bedroom door open carefully to make sure he was still sleeping. A shaft of light spilled across the bed and highlighted his face, slack in sleep, mouth slightly open.

Ruby held her hand over her mouth, sorrow threatening to drown her. Cade was such a beautiful little boy and she couldn't help but wonder if her baby would have been just as adorable as his or her father was at that moment. She shook her head and pulled the door shut before making her way down to the kitchen to take something for the pain.

Flicking the light on, she found herself wanting to wretch with every twist and cramp she felt as she searched for some pain killers. Her search came up lax when all she found was a single Advil, not even enough to make a slight dent in a headache. Regardless, she popped the pill in her mouth and swallowed it dry. She was just about ready to give up and just curl up on the floor in the fetal position when she saw the fancy frosted bottle of vodka Leon had bought her as a replacement for the bottle of Absinthe he'd drank. It was something she'd never tried before but he had assured her that it was good stuff and would get her sufficiently plastered if she felt the need to do so. She picked up the bottle and made for the couch. Right now she felt the need to do just that. Anything that would help with the pain was a godsend at the moment.

She put the bottle on the table while she wrapped the gold hued chenille blanket around her, then picked it back up and settled into the corner of the couch. She picked at the plastic seal around the cap and peeled it free, throwing it onto the floor. The blackcurrant scent of the vodka was strong as she lifted the bottle to her mouth and without haste swallowed a good mouthful without thinking. Her eyes widened as it burned down her throat and she coughed, fighting the urge to bring it all back up. He'd never told her it was strong.

She looked at the bottle and felt tears prick at her eyes again. He'd bought it for her not only because he felt bad for drinking all her Absinthe – of which she hadn't gotten a chance to try – but he'd seen her ogling the pretty bottle and deigned it necessary for her to have it. Warily, she brought the bottle to her lips again and took another swig, not as big this time. Already she was starting to feel a little warm in the chest and the ache in her stomach seemed further away as she took yet another swig.

Screwing the cap back on, Ruby set the bottle down on the floor and curled into the corner, her head down and buried in the cushions.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been sitting there when she felt a hand brush over her head and touch her cheek. Opening her eyes she was greeted by the sight of Leon crouching in front of the couch, his face the picture of concern. Tears started to well up in her eyes again.

"Hey," his voice was quiet and soft like a warm blanket, "-what's the matter? I woke up and you were gone."

Ruby blinked away the tears, or at least tried to but only more came in their place.

"Cramps." She lied softly to him, "I didn't want to disturb you."

Leon climbed up onto the couch beside her and held his arms out to her, gathering her into his lap. His hand slipped beneath the blanket she had tucked around her and pressed over her belly. Ruby flinched. He didn't know the significance of the gesture.

"What are you doing?" she asked him, being shorter with him than she meant to be. His hand was smoothing slow, large circles over the flat plane of her stomach.

"Tala, my sister in law, is a nurse – she mentioned once that getting your belly rubbed helps sometimes." He seemed unaffected by her tone.

Ruby lay her head against his shoulder and buried her face in his neck as his hand continued its soothing strokes. The thoughtfulness of the mere action brought tears to her eyes, as did the knowledge that she'd lied to him. They leaked out onto his neck as she started to cry quietly.

"It hurts, Le.."

He went tense for a moment beneath her, his hand stilling for a second or two. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out before his hand resumed moving once more, his other arm curling around her and holding her to his chest.

All Ruby could do was cry – she would feel like an idiot in the morning – but for now he was holding her when she needed it and that was all that mattered. Even if he didn't know **why** he was holding her.


	22. The Waking Hours

**A/N: I'd just like to take the time to thank everyone who reviewed last chapter: The pink wearing sugar plum fairy (no you may not lick - you may not even breathe near it), leslienicolespeaks, betty-boo, Jet, Scorching Reality (you're in the A/N again!), Dani, Jada and '...' - biiiig thankyou for your kind reviews. Was very worried how people would take that. Anyway, i've waffled enough - On with the update now!**

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Ruby rubbed her face against the warmth in front of her, yawning slightly into the soft yet firm smooth surface. She paused, the events of the early hours of the morning coming rushing back. After discovering she was losing Leon's baby she had come out to the couch, drank a little then fallen asleep in said man's lap after he came looking for her. He was none the wiser about what had happened. He was probably just thinking that PMS made her weepy.

His large hands ran down over her back, her face still buried against his shoulder. He had rocked her as she cried, not knowing just how much he was helping. She hadn't felt as alone as she had before he'd come looking for her while he was holding her, quietly making soothing sounds into her hair. It was something she'd seen him do with Cade when the little boy fell and scraped his knee or hand.

She burrowed deeper against him, her knees drawn up to her chest, her arm up around Leon's neck. She felt his hands move from her back and side respectively and then the blanket was tugged up over her gently, tucked around her shoulders. His hands came back to rest in their previous positions and smoothed circles over the soft fabric, his cheek pressed against her forehead.

"I know you're awake, Rubes," she flushed against his shoulder and peered up at him tiredly.

He was watching her with a soft, confused glimmer in his eye. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she answered softly, slipping back onto the cushions and off his lap, "-you should have woken me."

He shrugged almost gracefully and rubbed this hands against his thighs. "Didn't matter." He slipped to the edge of the couch and that's when Ruby noticed he was only wearing the sheet from her bed, tucked around his waist . There were scabbed over scratch marks on his upper arms from where she'd held onto him the night before as she'd writhed beneath him. Her cheeks flushed pink and she hid her face in the blanket.

Leon hooked the edge of the burnished gold fabric in his fingers and slipped it down to reveal her face.

"Does seeing me naked still embarrass you?" he asked lightly, tucking her hair back behind her ear for her. Ruby avoided eye contact, even as he tilted her head to look at him and palmed her fringe back off her face.

"Ruby?" He was turned toward her now. "Sweetie what's wrong? Is it your belly?"

Tears burned at her eyes at his mention of her still aching stomach. She was twisted in knots and she couldn't, nay, wouldn't tell him why. Mutely she nodded and he sighed, nuzzling her cheek.

"I'll go and run you a shower," he stood her up, nudging her ahead of him down the hallway. He pushed her gently toward her bedroom door. "Go get some clothes to get dressed in after."

Ruby nodded. She couldn't get over how sweet he was being about it all – if only the reason for her pain was the reason he thought it was. His gentle nature this morning was slowly tearing her down, piece by piece. Her hands shakily opened her drawers, pulling out some turquoise lounge pants and a black halter top. She didn't feel like anything elaborate or pretty today – all she wanted to do was curl up and die. She wondered if this was how Leon felt all the time and wondered how he handled even breathing if it was.

As she turned to walk from the room she caught sight of the bed. The covers were still rumpled and messy, kicked to the end of the bed and she could hear Leon's gentle urging in her ear from the night before, still felt his hands against her. She almost burst into tears for thinking about it – she had no right to be thinking about things like that – not now. Not while the loss of her baby was still raw.

Leon appeared in the doorway and frowned at her quizzically. "Ruby?"

She jumped, looking at him with wide eyes. "Hmm?"

He nodded toward the bathroom. "Showers running and ready for you," he walked over and bent to snag his jeans from the floor, producing his cigarettes from one of the pockets, "-I'll be out back."

She gave him a meek smile, knowing she had to feign some kind of normalcy. "Could you turn the stereo on as you go through the living room?" she asked him, holding her clothes to her chest.

He ran his hand through his hair and brushed it back from his face. "Sure – anything in particular you want to listen to?"

Again Ruby felt herself being awed by this tender streak he was showing. For him to push aside his emotional ache just because of her physical one, or so he thought, just blew her away.

She shrugged, padding out of the room. "Whatever you want, Le. I'll be out soon."

He hummed. "Take your time." He answered, his tone non committal and mellow. He was always calm and soft spoken the mornings after they had sex. His shoulders didn't seem to hang so heavily for just that little while and for that she was grateful. She was helping him in some way at least.

Only once the bathroom door was securely shut and locked and she was beneath the hot spray of the water did she allow her tears to fall again. She leant against the cool tile and shook as her soundless sobs wracked her delicate frame. He could never find out – there was nothing he could do about it anyway.

Ruby sniffled pushing her face beneath the water and scrubbed at her already pink skin. Her eyes itched from all the crying and her head felt like it was about to explode. She ran her hands back over her head, sloughing the water from her hair.

_Leon said his sister was a nurse_, she thought to herself. She bit her lip, wondering whether she should wait until he was taking his own shower and steal Tala's number from his phone. She had no idea what to do with herself in this kind of situation and a little advice wouldn't go astray. Although – if Leon ever found out that Tala knew about it and never told him he wouldn't be happy. Not at all.

"Fuck it," she mumbled, squeezing her loofah in her hands, "- I have to talk to somebody that knows what to do."

Angie was out of the question. She saw Leon entirely too often and adored him beyond words – she wouldn't be able to keep it from him. She would cave and tell him and then the shit would hit the fan. Bethany was equally out of the question – she'd be just as clueless about it as she was and there was no way in hell she was asking any of her peers from work. They didn't need to know all the gory details of her private life. They were vultures as it is – no need to give them cannon fodder.

She sighed, scrubbing her legs. It was settled. Tala was her only option. She just hoped the woman wasn't some horrible bitch who would scold her and rip her to shreds once she found out that she'd lost Leon's baby when they weren't even in a relationship. She swallowed the fear and quickly finished her shower, desperate to be in her clothes and curled up on the couch again.

She slowly dressed, still tender both inside and out. There were faint bruises starting to show up on her hips, her thighs where Leon had held onto her last night – before…

Ruby took a deep breath and blinked back her tears, steeling herself to go out and face Leon. She just knew he'd be out on the back patio, leaning back on his elbows with his legs spread out in front of him, cigarette hanging from his mouth as he stared out into the morning's horizon. That was the great thing about her house. It sat on the top of a hill and with the beach being at the bottom just past a thick line of shrubbery, if you looked out from her back patio you could see the glassy surface of the ocean for miles. He loved just sitting there and staring blindly out into thin air.

She wrapped her hair in a towel and worked the neck of the halter over her head, absently tying the single strap across the back and leaving the majority of her pale skin bare. Once that was done she stepped out into the cool hall, the smell of coffee instantly assaulting her nose. She managed a weak smile. He'd turned the coffee maker on for her.

There was music playing, only something quiet and relaxed – almost somber in it's mood. She vaguely recognised it as one of the songs from the Cruel Intentions soundtrack and smirked at his choice of preferred music. He was always muttering about abstract and random bands being the tool of the devil – aka – Vince. Apparently the big man was a big music fan.

Ruby stopped short when she entered the kitchen, fully expecting it to be empty with the fetid smell of Leon's cigarettes floating in the back door. Instead she found him seated at the table bent over a pad of paper with a pencil, sketching something with a mug of untouched white coffee sitting by his hand. He glanced at her but never stopped drawing.

"Coffee's ready." He muttered, brows furrowed as he traced a line out on the pristine white paper. Ruby voiced a small thankyou and went about fixing herself something to eat. Leon's sudden question startled her.

"Are you feeling better?"

She gave him a gentle smile and answered honestly. "A little – yeah. Thanks, Le."

He nodded lightly, throwing the pencil down on the table and standing. "My turn then."

She waited until she heard the bathroom door close and the shower turn on before she dared peek at what he'd been drawing. Her hand came up to her lips.

A little fairy, no bigger than her palm, stood with her finger held up to her lips as if she were shushing someone and she wore a cheeky grin on her face. Her hair was wild and long, almost to her hips and she was draped in a tattered little dress, showing hints of her shaded skin here and there. Her tiny wrists were covered in fine little designs, tattoo like, and bells and jewels hung from her dress and hair here and there. She was beautiful. Beneath her in Leon's scrawly writing were the words 'gemstone baby'.

He was working on a design for the tattoo she'd agreed to get when he got his nipple pierced. Ruby thought he'd forgotten about agreeing to do it for her.

She was so caught up in taking in all the little details of his hastily scrawled picture that she almost forgot about her plan to nab Tala's number while he was showering. She quickly grabbed up her phone and hurried down to the bedroom, sitting on the edge of the bed as she scrawled through his phone book. Once she found Tala's name she carefully copied the number into her phone then flipped Leon's closed and slid it back into his jeans. She would call her later after Leon was gone. She had just gotten back into the kitchen when she heard the bathroom door open and the slap of Leon's feet against the floorboards.

He appeared moments later, his jeans hanging low on his narrow hips, scrubbing his hair with a towel.

"Would you cut my hair?"

Ruby blinked at him. "How 'bout no." she answered almost right away. No way in hell was she cutting that hair.

He quirked a brow. "Why not?" he asked, bemused. His eyes followed her as she set her coffee mug down and walked toward him, fluttering shut as her fingers tangled in his hair close to his scalp and tugged. He made a sound of appreciation in the back of his throat and Ruby let go. He opened his eyes and stared down at her, nodding slightly. "Point made. The hair stays."

"Damn right it does," she motioned to the paper on the table as she walked back over to the counter, "Is that for me?"

Leon picked up the paper and looked it over. "Yeah – she's not done yet. You said you liked fairies, right?" He set the paper back down and looked up.

Ruby nodded. "She's beautiful, Le," she flushed slightly, "-thankyou."

He smiled, shrugging listlessly. "Don't thank me yet – I could still fuck it all up."

"Why don't I believe you?"

His expression sobered slightly. "Because you put too much faith in me." He stood there for a moment then visibly shook himself and looked up at the clock. "I have to get home for Cade." He threw the towel in the laundry before he left the kitchen in search of his shirt, shoes and keys, returning moments later biting his car keys in his teeth and tugging his shirt on. He swallowed a mouthful of his cold coffee before dumping the rest in the sink then wrapped Ruby in a gentle hug. His hand brushed over her belly as he drew back from her.

"Feel better."

She trembled slightly as she heard the Skyline roar to life and the gravel crunch beneath the tires, then looked at her phone laying on the counter. She took a deep breath and let it out before she picked it up and looked up Tala's number, then with hesitant fingers, she punched the number into her home phone and waited.

It rang five times, five long rings before a light, feminine voice answered sounding a little curious about the unfamiliar number calling her. _"Tala Mackenzie."_


	23. Comfort Food and Late Night Discussion

**A/N: Hello, hello! I'd like to say a big thankyou to: leslienicolespeaks, dogreign, Jet, betty-boo, Ms Fi and Dani for reviewing the last chapter. I've been having a time and a half with this fic lately. It just doesnt want to seem to get written - but fret not, I've managed to wrangle those muses into some sort of submission. Hope you enjoy this chapter! **

Ooh - and while I'm at it, I've written a little one shot ficlet entitled "Where I Am" - if you could check it out and let me know what you think it would be greatly appreciated!

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Ruby handed the cab driver some money and climbed out of the car, her hand rubbing her eyes as her feet crunched across the gravel drive. She still hadn't gotten her car fixed – Leon had been driving her around or she'd been taking cabs.

She was just getting home from an impromptu doctors appointment, a suggestion from Tala. Ruby was still shocked with how Tala had taken the news about her losing the baby. There had been a lot of crying done by both women over the hour long phone conversation – the older woman doing her best to offer advice and reassure her that what had happened wasn't her fault. She had been so sweet about everything. Ruby could easily see why Leon thought so highly of her – why Vince adored her. She could still clearly recall the shocked silence on the other end of the phone when she blurted out what had happened – then Tala's mournful 'oh honey..'.

She didn't have any tears left to cry, at least she thought she didn't until her doctor had told her she would have been about seven weeks along. It had to have been the day when Leon had almost attacked Marissa – they'd come back to her place and he'd damn near put her through the wall. She sighed, shaking her head.

"This isn't the end of the world." She muttered to herself, unlocking her front door and dumping her bag inside. "I'm not even twenty yet – I'm too young for a baby anyway."

Somehow the thought didn't comfort her like she'd hoped.

Tala was going to call her back to see how she went and if everything was ok – Ruby suspected she just wanted to be sure she was handling things ok. After all the woman had watched Leon deteriorate after the loss of Letty and had told her she didn't want the same thing to happen to her. She was touched at her concern for her – a total stranger she'd only spoken to twice now.

She tossed the house keys down on the table by the phone and pressed the flashing button on the answering machine, shrugging out of her jacket as it clicked and whirred to life.

"Hey Rubes," Leon's voice sounded throughout the room and she paused, "- just calling to see if you were home, Cade wanted to come over and say hi. Oh! I've drawn up a couple of other sketches for you to take a look at when you're ready. Give me a call when you get in and we can work something out for the brat."

She shook her head at the machine. "Never says goodbye." She mumbled, plopping onto the couch. She picked up the cordless from the couch beside her and punched in Leon's number, curling up on her side as she waited for him to answer. After a moment his deep voice resonated down the line, tickling her eardrum.

"Yeah?"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "You should really learn to answer the phone more politely, Le."

His chuckles were warm and soothing. He sounded to be in a good mood and she could hear Cade jabbering on in the background. Leon told him to shut up for a minute, bringing a small smile to her face. He didn't hold his tongue in front of that boy at all. One day he was going to start cussing like a sailor – or worse – his father.

"Sorry, Rubes." In the background Cade started shouting and Ruby couldn't help but giggle. He sounded so excited once he'd found out it was her on the phone. There was a scuffling sound and Leon could be heard swearing like a trooper then he came back over the line grumbling. "I think I'm learning the meaning of the terrible twos."

She smiled, snuggling down into the couch cushions and tugging the blanket down over her. "Well I'm home now, so if he still wants to visit I'd love to see him."

Ruby giggled softly as she listened to Leon ask Cade if he wanted to go and see Ruby, then threaten him with being stuffed into a garbage can and being rolled into the ocean if he didn't shut up.

"Oh you're a wonderful father – so loving."

"The little shit bit me." he muttered, his voice got quieter. "If you're still feeling a bit off we can wait until tomorrow."

"No," she closed her eyes, "no it's ok. I'm feeling much better now. I'll leave the door unlocked so you can just come on in. Bring some clothes just in case you guys crash."

Leon softly hushed Cade and told him to go and get some pyjamas to sleep in, quiet as the little boy ran off.

"We'll see you in about a half hour then. Have you eaten?"

She yawned into the cushions. "I'm not really hungry, Le."

He made a quiet sound and she could just picture him giving her that look. "Alright then. See you soon."

Ruby clumsily mashed her fingers against the call button, hanging up and threw the phone down on the floor beside the couch. She yawned again and blinked sluggishly. "Just a few minutes." Her eyes fluttered shut as she yawned again. Only a few minutes and she'd be right to handle the enthusiastic two year old coming to visit.

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Ruby sighed, nestling down into the blankets. She froze. Blankets? Her eyes opened and she was shocked to find the room in total darkness. She could hear breathing and felt something warm and small pressed against her front. Looking down once her eyes had adjusted to the dark she could see Cade's tiny form curled against her, nestled between herself and Leon. He was wearing little footie pyjamas and his dark hair was tousled in sleep, his thumb in his mouth while the other hand was tightly wrapped in the light fabric of her tank. 

Leon lay behind Cade, his arm draped over both of them, his face pushed into the pillow.

Ruby blinked at the pair and realised that she must have been asleep when they had arrived. The only way for her to get into her room, changed into pyjamas and into bed was if Leon had done it. He must have carried her into the bedroom after finding her out on the couch and then curled up with her and Cade.

Her hand slipped down and caressed the little boys head, then stroked the thick arm that lay across the both of them. Leon's fingers flexed against her side then relaxed and his head turned toward her. He sighed in his sleep and rolled onto his back, arm flung over his eyes.

Carefully, Ruby worked Cade's fingers loose and eased away from him, covering both father and son with the covers as she stood beside the bed. Quietly, as not to wake either of them she crept from the room and went into the kitchen in search of food. She was just peeling the top off the takeaway food container when she heard feet shuffle into the room behind her. Leon leant against the counter beside her.

He took the container full of fried rice out of her hands and moved to put it in the microwave without a word, then came back and stood in his previous position. Long fingers curled around her forearm and tugged her between his spread legs, wrapping her in a hug. He didn't say anything for a while, just waited for the microwave to go off then went to get the food once it did. Containers in hand he nodded toward the back patio and started outside.

Ruby followed, two forks in hand, curious. He was acting strangely. She took the offered carton of rice and handed him a fork, then sat back against the wall.

Leon cleared his throat, digging through the left over sweet and sour pork with his fork.

"Are you sick?" He asked finally, not looking at her. He was silent, waiting for her response. The only sound was the distant crash of the waves and the quiet clinging of wind chimes that hung from the gutter. Ruby stared at him in muted shock. His face was eerily blank and he was tense.

"No – I'm not. Why would you think that?"

He chewed slowly, still avoiding looking at her. "I tried to wake you and I couldn't." he said softly. "I thought.." he cleared his throat, "- never mind."

After shovelling some rice into her mouth, Ruby set the container down and crawled into his lap, sitting side on with her head to his shoulder. She lifted her arms to wrap around his neck and cuddled into him, shocked to feel him shake slightly.

"I'm sorry, Le. I'm a bit of a lightweight and I took some pain killers earlier – they must have hit me harder than I thought."

He moved his cheek against hers, then brushed his mouth against her lips in a kiss. Ruby blinked in shock at first – he usually only kissed her during sex – then relaxed into it. His hands came up to cup the back of her head, tilting her head for better access. She sighed into his mouth, her fingers slipping up into the hair at the base of his neck, tugging slightly. His mouth tasted of the Chinese food he'd just been eating with an underlying hint of something vaguely familiar. Something that was purely Leon.

His tongue brushed hers briefly, just barely before retracting from her mouth. He drew back slowly, only just breaking contact with her lips. Their breath intermingled as he rested his forehead against hers, eyes closed.

Ruby slipped her hand around to cup his jaw, her heart in her throat. "Well that was new." She said after a while, her voice soft.

"I didn't think you were going to wake up," he murmured, nuzzling her cheek, "- I didn't.."

She brushed her thumb across his face just beneath his eye, bringing her other hand up to do the same to the other side. She kissed both closed eyelids and gathered him to her.

"I never meant to frighten you, Le. I swear I just laid my head down for a minute once I got off the phone from you."

He opened his eyes and leant his head back against the wall, picking up his fork and spearing a piece of honey chicken on it from one of the containers. He offered it to her and looked pleased when she actually ate it.

"We were runnin late – stopped to get cigarettes." He rolled his eyes at her look. "I know, I know – it stinks. It's disgusting, blah blah blah."

Ruby shook her head, swallowing the chicken. "Actually," she started, "- I was going to say kissing you tastes like licking an ashtray."

He scoffed. "Thankyou, Ruby Jane. You really know what to say to a man to make him feel good about himself."

She cuddled his neck, opening her mouth to accept another piece of chicken. "Welcome."

He lifted her slightly in his lap and repositioned her so they were both more comfortable. He looked at her curiously. "Do you really hate kissing me?"

She choked on her food and he pat her on the back none too gently. "God, Leon – No!" She kissed him soundly just to prove her point. "Only after you've been impersonating a chimney. Tastes funky."

Leon chuckled, "I'll remember that." He scraped through the bottom of the container of pork and frowned at the excess sauce. "That's disgusting." He tipped the container and his stomach turned as the thick, syrupy liquid all ran to one end.

Ruby pulled a face and pushed it aside with her foot, nodding at the chicken. "Want some more of that." She opened her mouth as he obligingly offered her more. "Really though – the smoking is disgusting."

Leon shrugged, drawing the fork away from her mouth. "So's masturbation but people still do it."

Ruby giggled, "Ok, now that's a nice analogy."

He smirked, still scraping through the Chinese food containers. He looked up with a sigh. "Foods all gone."

She peered down at the containers and hummed to herself, then lay her head back against his shoulder. They sat in companionable silence for a little while and Ruby had just started to doze off when Cade's cries broke the silence. Leon jerked beneath her and Ruby started awake.

She was on her feet and almost slammed into the door by Leon trying to get by her to get inside to his son. She turned and put her hands against his chest, stopping him.

"Leon – Leon! He's alright.. Calm down. He's probably just wondering where we've gone."

"Daddy! Miss Ruby!"

She quirked a brow and opened the door for him. "Told you."

Leon grumbled but followed her down the hall. He watched her crawl into bed and Cade attached himself to her, his face buried in her chest. Ruby curled herself around him and was whispering softly, lulling the little boy back to sleep. She glanced over at Leon.

"You're not coming back to bed?"

He nodded slowly and climbed in behind her, tucking his arm around both her and Cade, his hand resting against the little boy's back.

Ruby cuddled Cade closer. With him in her arms and Leon at her back - for the first time all day she didn't feel all that horrible.


	24. Impressionable Children

**A/N: Update time! Big thankyou to betty-boo, leslienicolespeaks, Jet, Jada91 and Danifor reviewing - you guys are the best!**

**As usual, dont own Leon, though I do own Ruby, Cade and the fairy design mentioned in this and/or any previous chapters. They're mine.

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**

Leon ran his fingers over the slightly swollen skin of Ruby's lower back, carefully smearing the antibacterial cream over her new tattoo. After almost a week of working over designs with each other she had picked one of the first ones he'd done.

The fairy was laying on her belly with her head pillowed on one arm, the other stretched out in front of her with her feet kicked up in the air. Her skin was tinted a pale, pale blue and her hair was black with cobalt highlights here and there, an errant lock hanging down over her eye. Her eyes were closed, as if in sleep, and she wore matching bracelets of bells around her wrists and the same around her ankles. Her huge butterfly wings were spread out above her in a sea of purples, greens and blacks. She wore no clothes. On either side of her there was a border of tribal vines that stretched out to either hip.

It had ended up a little larger than she'd anticipated – the fairy itself was more the size of his hand, from the heel of his palm to his fingertips.

Ruby looked back over her shoulder when she felt his fingers tracing over the wings.

"Are you having fun back there?"

He smiled softly, snapping the lid shut on the tube of cream. "All finished." He stated. "Does she still hurt?"

Ruby nodded. "It feels swollen."

Leon hummed when he went to lower her shirt back down, noticing it would rub over the most swollen part of the tattoo – her wings. The outlines were almost 3D'd. It was like when you inflated a balloon with a design on it, then let all the air out and the design was still standing out – that was how it looked.

"It is," he murmured, "-I'll see if I've got something for you to put on that wont rub." He peeled her top up over her head and tossed it aside, going in search of something different for her to wear.

Ruby sat on the edge of the bed, waiting patiently. Leon had sat with her the entire time she was being inked, quietly watching his art being permanently put onto her skin. The tattooist had even expressed interest in Leon doing some work for the shop but he'd politely declined. The only place he liked seeing his art was on custom commissioned vehicles. Ruby's tattoo was the exception. His art was personal to him – it didn't sit well as it was that someone else was copying his work in the first place. Ruby suspected Leon would have done it himself if he could have. She smiled as he turned back toward her, one of his sweaters in hand. It was a little chilly out that day anyway – the wind coming up off the ocean had a cool bite to it that could send you from warm to shivering in moments. She was grateful they'd gone back to Angie's afterwards instead of her place.

When he held it out to her, he had a thoughtful look on his face. "Can I ask you something?"

Ruby frowned quizzically, sliding her arms into the huge sweater. It was soft to touch and she just knew that he hadn't bought it for himself. It screamed 'gift from a woman'. He caught the look on her face and smirked.

"Tala – she bought a lot my of clothes for me. I couldn't be bothered with it."

She smiled, touching the soft fabric, her fingers barely peeking out from beneath the sleeve. It hung loosely off one shoulder, the rich dark green colour a sharp contrast to her pale skin.

"She's a good sister."

Leon nodded, sitting beside her. "She is." He answered, righting the shoulder of the sweater. "So – my question."

Ruby nodded, tucking her feet up beneath her. She felt warm and secure now – her body swathed in the soft green sweater. Her skirt hung in layered black tiers over the edge of his bed.

"Go ahead, precious."

He cleared his throat. "I called Vince the other day – finally. Yes I was sober don't interrupt!" he rushed out when he saw her mouth open. She closed her mouth and grinned, waving her hand for him to go on. He nodded once and went on.

"Well Christmas is coming up next month and I really don't feel like driving all the way back to LA just for a few days.."

Ruby blinked, fear starting to swell in her chest. "You're going back for good?" she asked in a small voice, playing with the cuff of the huge sleeve. Leon had quickly become her closest friend and the thought of him leaving hurt more than she thought it would.

"What? No – I was thinking of asking them to come down here." He told her, leaning back against the wrought iron bed end. "Do you think they'd be up for it?" he asked quietly, obviously thinking of how he'd behaved over the past two years, let alone the past three months.

Ruby almost sighed with relief when he said he wasn't leaving, then the excitement of the possible visit of his family set in. She bounced on the spot, unable to refrain from clapping. She winced at the dull throb in her lower back and stopped moving.

"Ow," she mumbled, poking her tongue out at Leon when he chuckled. "-stop laughing."

Leon held his hands up in a non threatening gesture, legs kicked out in front of him. Not one to like having big dirty boots on the bed, even if it was **his** bed, Ruby tugged the laces free then eased his shoes off and threw them on the floor.

"At least you didn't get yours slammed in a door the day you got it done."

She baulked, ringed fingers reaching out to touch the perfect ink that adorned his arm. "Who did that?"

His face darkened. "Dominic – he said it was an accident but the prick meant to do it." He looked at her hand on his arm, remembering the pain. "Fuckin hurt too." He shook his head. "Now – what were you getting excited about?"

Her face took on a brighter expression now and Ruby clapped again. "I think you should definitely ask them – I'm sure Cade would love to see them and Angie's always saying she'd like to meet them."

Leon quirked a brow, watching her reposition herself at the opposite end of the bed and flick the television on with the remote. "What about you?" he asked, crawling up to flop beside her. "Do you want to meet them?"

Ruby gave him a blank look. "No – I have no interest in your life or the people who care about you." She answered blithely, then slapped him. "Yes I want to meet them!"

He rubbed at the tender spot on his stomach and grumbled to himself about unstable red heads.

She gave him a half smile and shook her head. "You want me to smack you again, Le?"

He rolled off the bed and to his feet, starting out of the room. "I'll go call them now then." He muttered, disappearing into the dim hallway. Ruby was still watching the doorway and shaking her head when a sleepy Cade appeared, his little fist rubbing his eyes. She gave him a tender smile as he toddled over to the side of the bed and fisted his hands in the covers.

"Up." He implored, his big brown eyes sleepy and soft. Ruby leaned over the edge and lifted him onto the bed with her, wrapping her arm around him as he curled up against her side. He looked at the television and then up at her.

"Why no colours?" he asked.

Ruby grinned, rolling toward him more to face him. "Well this is a really old movie, baby." She looked back at the TV to where Frankenstein was playing, the sound down low but still audible. The rain poured outside and drowned out most of the movie's dialogue anyway. "They didn't have colour film back when this was made."

Cade looked at the TV a moment longer then dropped his head against her shoulder, immediately conking out. Ruby giggled and kissed his head, stroking his hair away from his face. He was the only one she'd ever met that could go from conversation to sleeping in almost an instant. When he slept he slept like a log too.

"Well it looks like.." Leon trailed off as he walked into the room, pausing mid step. "Where did he come from?"

"He just wandered in now while you were making your call." She looked back at the television, seeing the pictures but not really watching. "How'd it go?"

He climbed up onto the bed beside her, his hand moving to rub Cade's back as he lay down.

"Vince is going to talk to Tala when she gets in from work – which roughly translates to 'we'll be there'."

"Did you ask Angie if they could stay here?"

Leon hummed, gazing blankly at the television. "She said it was fine – I'm surprised you didn't hear her scream. She was a bit excited."

Ruby grinned. "You don't sound overly enthused over it though," she turned to look at him, "-why not?"

"If you had a six foot three, two hundred pound man coming to visit who wanted to hit you – you wouldn't be too excited either."

She blinked rapidly. "He's big."

"Yes – he's big – and he hits like a fucking ten pound sledge hammer at full swing." He rolled his eyes sarcastically. "It'll be great fun."

Ruby pat him on the head, going back to the old movie. "Stress less. It can't be that bad."

Leon snorted. "Yeah, if you're you."

"You're being over dramatic." She retorted distractedly, actually starting to become interested in the film.

"I am not."

"Leon!"

He frowned and dropped his head back against the pillows. "Fine." He muttered. He watched the television for five minutes then sat up. "This is fucking horrible, Rubes.."

She shook her head, her hand slipping up to cover Cade's ear. "He's going to have the foulest mouth on a two year old soon enough from listening to you."

Leon got a strange look on his face and rubbed the back of his neck. "Funny you should mention that."

Ruby grinned, turning to face him fully. "Oh this I have to hear – tell me."

"He sort of," he cleared his throat, "- called Marissa a whore yesterday."

Before she could stop it, Ruby snorted with laughter and collapsed against the pillows in a fit of giggles.

"Oh my god – that's not funny." She giggled some more. "That's horrible."

Leon was unable to keep a straight face watching her giggle and snort into the pillows. She had to be the most uninhibited woman he knew. He chuckled lightly, shaking his head.

She looked up at him with twinkling eyes, smiling. "What did she say?"

"She came storming out to me and told me what he'd said, swearing and trying to intimidate me." Leon sniggered. "I had the hardest time not laughing."

Ruby calmed slightly, stroking a sleeping Cade's head absently. "Well? How'd you handle it?"

He smirked. "I told her that I'd taught Cade not to lie to people – then I asked her what the problem was."

"Oh, you antagonising shit."

Leon nodded. "It shut her up," he shook his head slightly, touching Cade's head, "- had to take him aside later and tell him not to say grown up words though."

Ruby stared at him for a moment, then dissolved into a mess of giggles. "He called her a whore."

Nodding, Leon shook with silent laughter. "I fuckin know.."


	25. A Kinda Sorta Date?

**A/N: Alrighty - I'd like to take the time to thank betty-boo, nascargirl05, leslienicolespeaks (the fairy is mine), Jet, Dani and a great big thankyou and welcome back to the lovely Ms Fi - missed ya hun. Don't drop this laptop!

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Ruby squirmed restlessly behind the makeshift blindfold Leon had put on her ten minutes earlier. The car had stopped finally and she could hear him open the door. She couldn't see anything through the light blue paisley bandanna around her head.

"Don't move." Leon told her, the car moving slightly as he climbed out and slammed the door shut. She heard a dull thump – probably his hand slapping down on the hood of the car – then she felt the cool night air against her side as the passenger door opened. Leon's work roughened hands helped her out of the car, still blindfolded, and she heard the door close. There was a mechanical beep as he armed the alarm and she felt his fingers gently easing the knot undone at the back of her head.

Leon had turned up at her house not an hour earlier stating that Angie had Cade for the night and that he was taking her out. His reasons being that she had seemed a little down lately and he wanted her to have some fun – feel better. She had no idea where he was taking her. All he'd told her was to wear some comfortable pants and something warm up top.

She'd barely had time to take a shower and throw on some old blue jeans and one of his sweaters he'd left at her place before he was bustling her out the door and into the car.

"Le, where are we?" She asked him, hearing the sound of people talking a little ways away. The bandanna fell away from her eyes and he pointed to the building in front of them. Ruby blinked to focus and looked up, a slightly shocked grin coming to her face.

"Ice skating?" she asked aloud, turning to look at him. He gave her a small smile and nodded toward the building, slipping his arm around her waist. Ruby fell into step beside him, leaning her head against his shoulder. "You're taking me ice skating?"

Leon nodded, ignoring the small gathering of people by the buildings doors. He let go of her to step forward and grabbed the door handle and pulled – motioning her inside ahead of him. Just as the door was swinging shut behind them he heard a masculine yelp and a woman bitching at her boyfriend for never opening doors for **her**.

He smirked when he looked at Ruby, shaking his head at her laughter. "Have you done this before?" he asked her, lifting his arm to curl around her shoulders as she slipped back to his side. Ruby nodded gleefully.

"I love ice skating – I used to do it all the time but once I started working I just gave up. I haven't been in years."

Leon cleared his throat. "Well this is my first time," he looked out at the rink, "-you're going to have to show me what to do."

This garnered a grin from the smiling red head. "Wow – never thought I'd hear that from **you**."

He gave her a playful swat on the behind, nudging her toward the desk. "Shut up – I'm fragile right now. I'm putting myself in your hands."

Ruby choked on her laughter, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. Leon looked at her sideways for a moment, confused, then his eyes widened and he smacked her a little harder this time.

"You're a dirty bitch!"

She erupted into a fit of laughter and grabbed his hand, tugging him toward the skate hire. Leon followed willingly. It was nice to see her smiling, hear her laughing again. She'd been kind of quiet the past couple of weeks and he'd been worried that he'd upset her again at first, but she had assured him that wasn't the case.

Her hands slapped down on the counter top with a clunk and jingle, her bracelets scraping against the laminated surface. The guy behind the counter grinned at her as she bounced on the spot, her eyes excitedly scouring the racks of skates. The guy was visibly checking her out, his eyes coming to rest on the swell of her breasts beneath the navy sweater. Leon knew for a fact that it fell heavily and outlined her figure – despite it being miles too big for her. Her fingers barely peeked out from beneath the sleeves.

"Well I'm an eight. What are you, precious? A thirteen?"

Leon glared at the young man behind the counter and inwardly delighted at his flinch. "Fourteen and a half."

Ruby made a quiet sound of surprise. "Bigger than I thought." Her eyes widened as she finished her sentence and she blushed, hiding her face in her hands. Leon smirked, shaking his head at her.

"Is it nice down there in the gutter tonight?"

She reddened a little more. "Kinda damp actually."

Leon snorted, quickly clearing his throat and looking away. Now it was Ruby's turn to gape at **him**.

"**Now** who's the dirty bitch!"

He grinned at her, virtually ignoring the guy who came back with their skates. He tossed a fifty dollar bill onto the counter and handed Ruby her skates as he waited for his change.

"You're the one who said it," he stuffed the change back in his wallet, looking out of the corner of his eye at her, "- you think I should join you in the gutter?"

Ruby nodded, linking her arm with his as they started toward the stands to put their skates on.

"Absolutely. The water's warm, there's shelter from the wind and the food is free."

"Well if there's free food.." Leon trailed off, dropping onto the bench beside her. He toed his boots off, watching Ruby lace her skates tightly. "So how do I do this?"

She tugged the bottom of her jeans back down over the top of the skates then pat her thighs, grabbing Leon's ankle. He already had the skate on, all she had to do was lace them.

He watched apprehensively. "I'm going to fall on my ass."

Ruby grinned, tucking her hair behind her ears. "Probably." She replied flippantly, standing up. She held her hands out. "But that's ok – if you fall I'll fall with you."

Leon looked at her hands, then at the ice, then at her hands again and blew out a sigh. "Alright. Here goes nothing." He slipped his hands into hers and hesitantly followed her out onto the ice.

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Ruby slumped contently against the soft upholstery of the back seat, her head cushioned on her hand, her knees tucked up against her chest as she looked up at Leon as he drove. She smiled to herself thinking back on their night.

Leon was right – he did indeed fall on his ass and he took her with him every time. They had both ended up just as soaked as the other by the end of the night, each with more than their fair share of bruises. Leon's smile as Ruby had kissed the bruised heel of his palm had made her toes curl and she'd had to look away before he noticed her blush. She'd clamoured to her feet and held her hand out to help him up, feigning nonchalance. As far as she knew he hadn't noticed, but knowing him he wouldn't say anything even if he had.

She could feel the car slowing and blinked. "Home already?"

He glanced back over to where she lay in the back seat. "Yeah, Rubes," he shut off the ignition, "-hold on a sec and I'll give you a piggy back inside." The wind tousled his hair as he hopped out of the car and Ruby sat up, pushing the back door open and slipping out. Leon was almost to her side when she shut the door and huddled against him for warmth – her clothes were damp from all the falls onto the ice and the wind cut right through her. She shivered against his chest, her nose buried in the heavy duty work shirt he wore. His arms curled around her and rubbed her back to warm her.

"Come on, gemstone," he murmured against her hair, "-inside." He didn't wait for her to move before he scooped her up against his chest and started toward the house. Her legs instinctively curled around his waist, her head on his shoulder. Her arms looped around his neck and she snuggled into him, eyes closed.

"Thankyou for taking me skating, Le."

He grunted slightly, opening the door whilst trying not to drop her. "Welcome." He kicked it shut behind him, setting her down once they were inside and in the warm. He tugged his boots off, dropping them just by the door. The only article of clothing either of them had on that was still dry was their socks. He pulled a face, shaking his shoulders slightly.

"I'm thinking shower." He muttered, quirking a brow at her.

Ruby nodded, rubbing her hands together. "Good idea."

They both looked down the hall toward the bathroom, then at each other, then back down the hall. A slow smile spread across Leon's face and a look of determination across Ruby's.

"Oh no, Mr 'I am the champion of falling on my ass' – shower's mine. My house, my – Hey!" she shrieked after him, chasing him down the hall. Both reached the bathroom within seconds of each other and got jammed in the doorway, fighting to gain entry first.

Leon's fingers sought out her ribs, effectively rendering her defenceless in a fit of giggles on the floor. He stepped over her with a victorious laugh and slammed the door shut, bumping her on the ass as he did so.

Ruby thumped against the door. "What ever happened to being a gentleman?" she called through the door, still sitting on the floor pouting. She glared at thin air when she heard the shower start and him laughing at her. There was the sound of fabric hitting the floor, heavy denim by the sounds of it and she bit her lip. "Le?" she called.

The sound of the water pattering against the tiles altered and she knew he was in the shower.

"What?"

"Are you naked?" she grinned as she heard him sigh heavily and she climbed to her feet, shucking out of her wet jeans and shoes.

"No, Ruby – I'm showering fully clothed. Of course I'm naked!"

She was already half way to the kitchen when she heard his response and her hand fell onto the hot tap. With a twisted little grin she twisted it on full force, looking toward the ceiling as she heard a loud thump and his profane roar. Quickly shutting off the tap she bolted down the hall and into the separate toilet, then hit the button. She bounced on the spot, giggling when she heard him swearing again and another thump.

"**RUBY**!"

She squeaked when she heard the bathroom door fly open, banging against the wall behind it and a wet, very naked Leon appeared in the hallway. She blinked, her eyes following a droplet of water as it travelled down his neck, over his chest and snaked its way down to pool in his naval. She swallowed thickly, slowly looking back up at his face. He was watching her, his expression thoughtful.

He cocked his head to the left, his hair falling over his eyes. Ruby whimpered as he stepped forward and wrapped his fingers around her wrist and tugged her to him. She could feel the water seeping through the already damp fabric of the sweater she wore and her breath hitched in her throat as his face grew closer to her own.

"That was evil," he murmured, his mouth ghosting over hers, "- wasn't it."

Ruby nodded meekly, trembling as his hand slipped up beneath the hem of the sweater and cupped her ass through the thin satin panties she wore. His fingers slipped beneath the elastic and skimmed over her skin, then came back to rest atop of the smooth fabric. He lifted her against him and carried her back into the bathroom, not even bothering to strip her of the oversized sweater she wore, nor her underwear or socks as he climbed back into the shower with her still in his arms. He set her down and Ruby wriggled her toes against the uncomfortable sensation of wet socks. Her hands slipped from his chest when he took a step back and out of the shower. He grinned at her and flicked off the hot tap, sending burst of freezing water onto her. She shrieked and tried to jump out of the way, but he directed the shower head in every direction she moved, a small, pleased grin on his face the whole time.

"Alright!" She spluttered, her hand up to shield her face and shaking from the cold, "Alright I get the point! Don't flush while you're in the shower!"

Leon casually flipped the hot water back on and held his hand under the spray, then stepped back into the shower and bent to strip her socks off her. He smiled at the shimmering lilac paint on her toes, the silvery flecks of glitter sparkling in the light as she moved her feet. His fingers trailed from the tops of her toes and up her calves, over her knees and up her thighs until they came to the sodden hem of **his** sweater. His hands tightened in the now heavy fabric and lifted it up over Ruby's head and he stopped still when he realised she hadn't been wearing a bra the whole time.

"Jesus, woman, no wonder he was staring." He muttered, bending to lick a drop of water from her ivory skin at the same time as he curled his hands around her waist and tugged at her panties.

Ruby's hands tangled in his hair, watching him kiss and lick his way down her belly, her breath coming in small pants now. His fingers hooked into the side straps of her panties and eased them down over her thighs.

"What do you mean staring? Who was staring?" Her voice was shaky and quiet, Leon's breath puffing against her wet skin, his tongue flicking out to trace the curve of her hip.

"The guy at the rink," he murmured, mouthing the skin just below her hip bone, "-fucking gauge his eyes out next time."

Ruby flushed at the possessive tone he used, her hand holding the back of his head as he sucked and nipped at her skin, leaving a dark red mark against her otherwise lily white hip. She tugged on his hair, panicked, when she felt his breath brushing her inner thigh.

Leon looked up, confused and saw her shaking her head furiously. His brow furrowed. "No?"

Ruby squirmed, shaking her head. "I don't.. I.." she stammered nervously, blushing. She looked away when he rose to his feet and took her chin in his hand.

His green eyes were soft when she finally met them. "Don't be afraid to tell me no, Ruby." He pressed a kiss to her mouth, his tongue coaxing her lips apart. He backed her into the wall back beneath the showers spray, his hands slipping up over her stomach wetly to cup her breasts. She pushed against his hands, moaning into his mouth and timidly allowed him to slide his knee between her thighs and stand between her legs. She tore her mouth from his.

"Le," she looked up at him, heat pooling low in her belly when she saw his flushed face, " – I'm not in the mood for anything rough.."

He nodded, nuzzling her throat. "Anything you want, gemstone. Anything you want."

Ruby could hear the sincerity in his voice and buried her face against his shoulder to hide her tears, sinking her teeth into his shoulder lightly as his fingers slipped between her thighs.

Her reply was whispered. "Thankyou, Leon."


	26. The Hazards of Coffee

**A/N: huge thanks to - the gorgeous one, Jet, leslienicolespeaks, betty-boo, nascargirl05 and Dani for reviewing. On with the update now.. mustn't ramble on.

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**

Leon glared at the large red and white sign in front of him as he sipped his coffee. The giant cigarette seemed to be mocking him with its presence and the great big red line through it was pretty much telling him he was fucked. His fingers tightened around the polystyrene coffee cup in his hand and he growled to himself. Twenty minutes. Twenty minutes he had been standing there glaring at that sign and it still hadn't had the good grace to change.

"No smoking my ass.." he muttered to himself before draining the remainder of his coffee. He stared into the empty cup for a moment before spinning on his heel and heading for the Starbucks at the end of the terminal for his fifth cup of coffee since he'd arrived at the airport. He'd only gotten there half an hour earlier.

He stood in line behind an older lady, muttering to himself about 'fucking airlines never being on time' and gave her his filthiest glare when she turned to admonish him. It didn't deter her. Her wrinkly hand pointed at him, her finger shaking.

"Now listen here young man," she begun and Leon felt his ire start to swell, "-I don't care who you are or how old you are, but it is not polite to speak in such a manner in public!" she looked around, "And in front of children no less!"

He grit his teeth, sneering. "Either go and get your fucking coffee or get out of my way old lady." He snapped ill temperedly.

She gasped, horrified at his blatant disrespect. Her hand flew to her chest.

"Well I never! How dare you-"

Leon glared at her, shifting on the spot. His shoulders tensed. "Look lady – It's been half an hour since my last cigarette, a fucking life time considering I go through three packs a day," he twitched slightly, fingers clenching into fists, "- my brothers flight is running late which is only delaying the inevitable ass kicking I'm sure to get, I've had two hours sleep in the past three days, I'm blitzed out of my fucking mind on coffee and my post-orgasmic haze has lifted." He took a breath, fuming. "Have I mentioned that you're standing in my fucking way and I haven't had a cigarette for half an hour!"

The old woman gaped at him, her mouth wordlessly moving. She was pale and shrinking back.

Leon glared at her when she just stood there. "Are you going to move or not?" when she didn't make a move to get out of his way he snarled. "Get the fuck out of my way lady!" He watched as the old woman scrambled out of his way as quickly as she could and noticed a couple of other people do the same. He was the only one in the line now and everyone was staring at him. Ignoring them, he strode forward and slapped a twenty down on the counter.

"I want three double espressos, a tall black and a cinnamon spice mocha." He muttered, glaring at the youth behind the counter.

The young man nodded dumbly, but made no indication he was about to move any time soon. Leon snapped his fingers in front of his face.

"Today, dipshit."

The boy nodded and rushed to prepare his beverages and Leon busied himself with looking in the pastry and cake filled display.

"And a chocolate scroll too." Leon looked up and saw the teen almost trembling, eyes wide. Worried that his coffee would suffer, he added a muttered 'please'. No sooner had the first espresso been placed in front of him did he have it in his hand and ready to drink it.

The teen behind the counter saw this and rushed to warn him. "Sir – that may be a little…" his eyes widened as he watched Leon down it in two gulps, "-hot."

Leon quirked a brow at him and gave him a pointed look. "This is my 'I give a fuck' face, can't you tell?"

The teenager timidly slid the other two double espressos across the counter as well as the tall black while he made the other. By the time he'd returned the two espressos were gone and he had started on the tall black. His eyes widened but he said nothing for fear of receiving a tongue lashing like the old woman had previously. He merely slid the cinnamon mocha across the counter and hastily stuffed the chocolate scroll into a paper bag.

Leon snatched up the food and waited impatiently for his change, then stuffed it in his pocket and picked up his coffee and stalked away from the Starbucks counter.

He wasn't even fifteen feet from the coffee merchant when he became aware of a man clothed all in black following him. He rolled his eyes.

"Fucking security." He mumbled, shaking his head and dropping into one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs in the waiting area. He glowered at the guy over the top of his cup, shaking his head and muttering the whole time. He went to take another sip of his tall black when he realised it was all gone and he got up to throw the cup away. He'd just sat back down when he heard Vince's flight announced and he groaned, rolling his eyes. He didn't even bother standing up at first – he had a clear view of the terminal anyway from where he was so he stayed in his seat until he saw Vince's dark head towering above some of the other passengers.

He swallowed thickly and hesitantly rose to his feet, trembling from both the caffeine and nerves. Vince had spotted him and looked down and said something, presumably to Tala. Whoever he was speaking to was hidden by the crowds. Rolling his shoulders, Leon gripped the still untouched cinnamon coffee in his hand and looked a little lower, hoping for a tiny little saviour to see him before Vince got to him. His prayers were answered when he heard an excited squeal and Tala's voice calling frantically after her daughter.

"Aurora!"

The little girl ignored her mother and made a bee line straight for her waiting uncle, arms outstretched. Leon carefully set his coffee down on the seat he'd just been sitting in and bent to scoop her up into his arms, hugging her to his chest with his hand buried in her dark curls. Her little arms wrapped around his neck and her hands tugged his hair, much the same way Cade's did. He breathed in the strawberry scent of her hair, eyes closed as he rocked her from side to side.

"Missed you, Uncle LeLe." She whispered against his ear, cuddling him for all her worth.

Leon hitched her a little higher and settled her on his hip, stroking her hair. He hadn't realised just how much he'd missed her until he'd picked her up in his arms. He grinned as she brushed her nose to his in an Eskimo kiss.

"I missed you too, pumpkin." He told her, painfully aware of his brother and sister in laws eyes on him. It was the first time he was faced with them since August – a little over four months. They'd left Winter with Marcus back in LA and were to stay in Miami for the next couple of weeks over the Christmas break.

Vince's big hands eased between her and Leon's chest and lifted her away from him. "Go to Mama." He said gruffly, watching to make sure Tala had her properly before turning back to Leon – then almost gracefully he lifted his hand and clipped Leon around the ear. Leon jerked, his hand flying up to hold the stinging ear and he mouthed an 'ow'. He was still twitching from all the coffee and the security guard was still hovering nearby.

Vince held a finger up to his face. "We are going to talk." He growled quietly so Rory wouldn't hear.

Tala admonished him for being a brute and handed Rory back to him, then wrapped her arms around Leon's waist and hugged him.

Feeling this was much safer, Leon reluctantly slipped his arms around her and hugged her back, shocking both her and Vince. If she had tried to hug him before he left she would never have gotten near him, but now – now he was hugging her back.

She drew back from him and looked him over, smiling. "You're looking better at least," she started, "- how are you though?"

Leon turned and picked up his coffee. "I'll be better once we get the fuck out of this place." He urged them to follow him, glaring at the security guard as they passed him. He quickly fell into step a few paces behind them and Vince quirked a brow, looking back at the short but stocky man in black.

"Leon – why are being tailed by security?" He didn't sound annoyed, more curious.

Leon shuddered, unable to stop himself and shook his head rapidly. "There was an incident."

Tala looked up at him. "What kind of incident?" She eyed the coffee in his hand and reached out to take it. "I get the feeling you've had enough of these." She handed it to Vince and he sniffed at it hesitantly, then took a sip, making a sound of surprise before taking another mouthful. Leon glared at the two of them, then at the security guard, then gave Rory a tight smile.

"Just an incident." He muttered, twitching slightly. His fingers fisted then uncurled, wriggling.

Vince kicked the back of his knee and watched him jerk with a quirked eyebrow. "How much coffee have you had, Le? You know you're caffeine sensitive so it better not have been more than four." He told him in a brotherly, warning tone. His eyes narrowed when he saw Leon's eyes rapidly shifting across the terminal. They stopped by the baggage claim and Vince watched him closely in between watching for their luggage and bouncing Rory on his hip.

"**_Leon_**," Vince practically barked, "- how many?"

Leon wrung his hands together, almost shivering. "Just a couple." He lied, his voice calm. He pointed. "That your bag?"

All conversation was forgotten as both Vince and Tala reached for their bags and Rory was again passed to Leon. She cuddled right in and rested her head on his shoulder, watching her parents.

"Went on the plane, Uncle Le."

He started out of the airport with her, Vince and Tala following. "Was it fun?"

She nodded, her curls bouncing. "Daddy doesn't like flying. Says the stews are hussies."

Tala gasped. "Vincent! Did you say that in front of her!"

He cleared his throat and plastered an innocent look on his face. "I might have." He gave Rory a soft look. "And they're 'stewardesses' princess."

Leon snorted. "At least she didn't call someone a who-" he caught himself. It was one thing to cuss like a sailor in front of Cade but if Rory picked that up Vince would string him up from the nearest street lamp. He didn't even need to finish the sentence for Vince to catch on and start sniggering.

"He didn't.." Tala's eyes were wide and shocked. Leon nodded, smirking as they neared the Skyline.

"He sure did – couldn't have said it to a better person either."

Vince frowned, lifting their bags into the trunk of the car. "What do you mean?"

Leon grunted, handing Rory to Tala so she could strap her in and reached for his cigarettes.

"You'll see – she's caught wind of your visit. You'll see."

The bigger man looked less than pleased with his vague response, but watched as Leon lifted a cigarette to his mouth and went to light it. "Not in the car with us, Le. You know I don't want that shit around my daughter."

Leon grumbled but tucked the unlit cigarette behind his ear and stuffed the lighter back in his pocket, then climbed into the car.

"Get in! Angie was expecting us half an hour ago." He snapped, revving the engine. Vince shook his head and shot Tala a look before he climbed into the idling Skyline's passenger seat.

They had barely even closed their doors before Leon was tearing out of the parking lot.

Vince clipped him in the head. "For fucks sake, Leon!" he shouted, glancing back at Rory. He sighed. The little girl was a speed demon anyway and he knew Leon could handle his car so he wasn't sure why he was concerned. He frowned at his younger brother as he tensely wrung his hands around the steering wheel.

"You want me to drive, Le?"

Leon shook his head ever so slightly. "No – you don't know the directions." He muttered, his tone final. The car fell into silence for the next twenty minutes of the drive until the scenery started turning suburban. Vince perked up as he noticed the Skyline slowing and looked out the window curiously as they pulled into the driveway of an old colonial house. Leon was out the door almost before he'd even turned the car off and was trying to light a cigarette. Trying being the active word.

Vince climbed out and noticed a vibrant red head bouncing around on the lawn with Cade and a blonde woman standing nearby talking to her. Both looked up at them as Tala climbed from the back of the car with Rory. She set her down and the little girl was instantly off and running toward Cade.

Leon's muttered cursing made him turn. "Problem Le?"

He glared at Vince and his ire seemed to fade slightly as the red head approached. She shot both Vince and Tala a bright beaming smile then strode up to Leon, her skirt dragging along the grass.

"What's the matter precious?" she looked at him a moment, then sobered. "Leon – have you been-"

"Only a couple!" he snapped. His face immediately registered with regret and he shook his head. "I can't.." he motioned to his cigarette with shaking hands. He let her take both the lighter and smoke from him. "Vince, Tala – this is Ruby." He mumbled, watching her.

Ruby gave them a brilliant smile and gave them a little finger wave, then lit Leon's cigarette for him. She pulled a face at the taste then handed it to him.

"Definitely an ashtray."

He glowered. "Shut up."

Vince couldn't help but notice the slight smile that crept onto his face as he spoke. _So this is Ruby then…_


	27. Nauseated

**A/N: Big thankyou to the following for their reviews: The lovely Ms Fi, betty-boo, leslienicolespeaks, nascargirl05, ..., Jet and dogreign - thankyou to all of you! And to everyone who read but didn't review - thankyou too. At least it's being read.

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Ruby shook her head as she watched Leon walk away and down between the house and the garage toward the back yard, his hands pressed to the sides of his head. She sighed, knowing – just knowing – he was going to be a pain in the royal proverbial later.

She turned back to the quiet couple, looking up at Vince, and down at Tala. She fought a wave of emotions now she was being met face to face with the woman who had offered her so much guidance and support and a small, wary smile lifted her lips. Her ringed fingers smoothed the front of her skirt and she glanced across to make sure Cade was still behaving for Angie, then back at Vince and Tala.

"Well," she started with a sigh, "-I suppose I should introduce you to Angie."

Tala gave her an encouraging smile. "It's nice to finally meet you, Ruby. Leon rambled all about you."

Ruby smiled, remembering Leon's drunken rambling. "He's told me a lot about you two as well believe it or not," she looked up at Vince, nervous. "Um, hello."

Vince grunted a hello when Tala's hand slapped his stomach and he rubbed at the tender spot.

"Baby why don't you go after Leon – I know you wanted to talk to him." Tala urged him, waving him off in the direction that Leon went.

Ruby nodded at his wary gesture toward the back yard. "He usually just sits on the back deck – can't miss it."

"Thanks." Vince muttered, then lumbered off in the direction of the pathway between the two buildings. Once his broad back disappeared into the shadows Tala slipped her arm around Ruby and urged her to sit on the grass with her.

"Sit, sweetie, sit." She tugged her down beside her and tucked her hair behind her ears, then took Ruby's hands in hers. She looked around to make sure nobody was near enough to hear, then looked at Ruby. The younger woman had tears in her eyes, but thankfully she didn't look completely broken.

"How are you doing?"

Ruby looked away, watching Cade and Rory playing in the middle of the front yard, Angie watching them.

"He still doesn't know," she started, "- he has no idea." Ruby smiled softly. "He just thought I wasn't feeling well."

Tala opened her mouth to speak when she stopped and looked over Ruby's shoulder, the younger woman turning to look.

Vince was striding toward them, his features set in a scowl, his walk purposeful.

"The little bastard lied to us – he's had well over his daily limit of caffeine. He's gunna be sick and he wont let me near him."

Ruby squinted up at Vince then shook her head. "Where is he?"

He gave her a funny look. "On the deck." He staggered backward as Ruby darted by him and after shooting Tala a quick look, he started after the colourful red head.

Ruby's feet slapped quietly against the laminated pine decking as she climbed the steps slowly, hesitantly. She wasn't completely silent in her approach though, she never was. Her jewellery gave her away more often than not with it's jingling and clinking.

"Le?"

He was sitting with his head on his knees, taking slow, deep breaths with his hands pressed to his temples. His cigarettes lay on the deck nearby, forgotten and he was trembling.

"Go away!" he snapped, not looking up. Ruby ignored him and crept closer, her anklets tinkling softly. Leon's head lifted from his knees slightly, listening and his hand stretched out to the side, reaching toward her.

She sighed and lowered herself to the deck beside him, gathering him against her as he shook.

"How many did you have, Leon?" she asked him after a moment. She'd noticed in the past how he would react if he had more than a certain amount of coffee in one day – nausea, headaches, muscle cramps, not to mention he was a complete prick. She'd suspected he was caffeine sensitive but until now she wasn't sure of it. Vince's angry muttering had cleared that up for her. It must have been where Cade got his aversion to chocolate from.

His face was buried in her neck and she could feel his shoulders tensing and relaxing under her hands.

"A few too many," he admitted, "- it was a no smoking area."

Ruby snorted, trying not to laugh at his poor reasoning. "So you overdosed on caffeine instead – Leon nicotine calms you – caffeine does not."

He nodded, mumbling an agreement against her shoulder.

Ruby stroked his hair, rocking him gently. "Come on, precious – we'll get you some water, you can throw up a little then I'll put you to bed."

Leon moaned miserably, refusing to move and Ruby glanced over to where Vince and Tala were standing with twin looks of shock on their faces. She absently smoothed her hand across the back of Leon's neck and frowned at the clammy skin.

"Vince could you help me get him inside?"

Vince had taken no more than two steps and Leon was muttering, shaking his head.

"I can get up myself!"

Ruby clipped him across the back of the head, regardless of his headache. "Then stop acting like a child!" she snapped back, glaring at him. "Do you want to lay out here all night and die quietly on your own?"

Leon sagged against her. "… No." he mumbled, starting to sit up.

She released him and stood up, her skirt swaying across the top of her feet. "Then get up." She told him firmly. "I'm not putting up with your shit again, Leon. We've been there before and it was more trouble than it was worth. Now I am more than happy to take care of you, but you have to cooperate with me or I will leave you here."

He blinked up at her slowly, then held his hands out, silently asking for help. Ruby sighed and took his hands, looking at him with concern when she felt just how much he was shaking.

"Leon!"

"Three double espressos and five tall blacks," he murmured, "I yelled at an old lady."

She shook her head and smirked, trying not to laugh. "Did you say anything stupid?"

He flushed slightly, nodding. "The elderly don't appreciate comments about sex."

Ruby froze on the spot, her hand on the door handle. "You didn't.." she rolled her eyes, "Shit, Le – that's as good as Cade calling Marissa a whore."

"Well she fuckin is – greets the worlds male population with legs wide open." He stopped and shuddered. "Ew – visual."

Rolling her eyes, Ruby urged Leon inside. "God you **are** sick – get in there." She turned back to Vince and Tala once he was inside, her expression apologetic.

"I'm so sorry for all this."

Vince grunted. "It's Leon – we're used to it by now." They followed Ruby inside to the kitchen to where Angie was now standing and fussing over Leon, while the two kids sat at the table and watched.

"Angie," Ruby called, "This is Vince and Tala. Vince and Tala this is Angie."

Tala gave her a polite smile and a small wave. Vince merely stood there and looked at her for a moment, watching Leon out of the corner of his eye. The younger of the two disappeared down the hall and Vince made his way around the bench to stand in front of Angie, then he bent and scooped her up in a hug.

"Thankyou for everything you've done for him, Ma'am." He said into her hair. Angie looked up at him with tears in her eyes. She hadn't been anticipating that at all. She wasn't expecting anything of Leon's family.

She stammered out her reply. "Y- you're welcome." Her hands rested against his shoulders, her feet hanging off the ground. "Um, sweetie, could you put me down?"

Vince looked down. "Oh!" he set her on her feet and took a step back, "Sorry."

Tala laughed, sitting at the table beside Rory. "He does that a lot," she said affectionately, "- he tends to forget he's much bigger than us."

Angie waved the explanation off. "It's refreshing to see an affectionate man," she looked out toward the den where Leon had disappeared, "- we don't see them often here. Not unless Ruby's around."

Vince looked back around and noticed Ruby had gone missing too, then looked back at Angie. "Where'd she go?"

"She's probably seeing to Leon – those two are attached at the hip."

Vince frowned. "Is that the only place?" he asked dryly. Tala shrieked his name and Angie's hand flew to her mouth to smother her laughter. "It's a valid question! It's not like _he's_ going to tell us!"

Angie pat him on the arm and went about fixing them something to drink.

"I'm not quite sure what it is between them at the moment, but she's good for him. You've no cause to be concerned, Vince."

The big man frowned again, going to sit down. "I hope you're right." Tala's hand slipped into his as he sat beside her and she leant her head to his shoulder.

"She wont hurt him, V. I know she wont."

Vince looked down at Tala, his eyes betraying his calm façade. "If you're sure," he kissed her forehead, " – then I'll take your word for it." He looked off in the direction Leon had gone. "I'm still kicking his ass though."

Tala smirked. "How did I know you'd say that?" She gave Angie a warm thankyou as she set their drinks down in front of them, letting go of Vince's hand.

Vince looked at Angie, still curious about his brothers well being. "How has he been? He wont talk to us any more."

Angie smiled softly. "He's been as well as can be expected. The only really rough patch he had was just before Cade's birthday," she sent the kids out into the yard to play, "- poor boy was a mess. Ruby wasn't talking to him, he was stressed and all this crap with Marissa…" she rolled her eyes, "I'm surprised he managed to hang in there."

"Marissa?" Vince muttered, "Who's she?"

The older woman sighed and shook her head. "Marissa is one of my daughter's friends, and I use that term loosely. She's fifteen years old and has her mind set on bedding your brother." Angie rubbed her forehead.

"Fifteen? She told him she was sixteen." Ruby said as she came back into the kitchen to get Leon some water. "Wait until he hears that – he's almost knocked her down once already."

Tala blinked in shock. "Leon almost hit a woman?"

Ruby nodded solemnly. "He was very angry."

"Well thank goodness you were here otherwise he'd be in jail at the moment." Angie told her, "Now off you go – go take care of the grumpy one."

Vince watched her flounce from the kitchen and shook his head. "You better be right, firefly.."


	28. Only Concerned

**A/N: As always, I'd like to thank those who reviewed: The bestest friend in the whole world - Ms Fi, leslienicolespeaks, betty-boo, Jet, scorching-reality, nascargirl and Torquebabe. A big thanks to those who read but didn't review too. On with the update now!

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Leon's head rested in Ruby's lap as she ran her fingers through his hair, absently watching the TV. He was fairly quiet now – aside from the little incident earlier when Bethany arrived home with some friends. They had no sooner walked in the front door and Marissa had been at the door and starting toward Leon. He'd seen her approaching and hurled the nearest hard object at her – his hiking boot. She had shrieked, the lamp had been smashed – Angie had come running, closely followed by Vince and Tala.

Leon had been on his feet and ready to lunge at the girl before Ruby had been able to stop him – it was with much effort that she managed to wrap her hands around his arm and wrangle him into submission. All the excitement had only proved to make his headache worse and shortly after he had been sick. Thankfully he'd had the smarts to get to the bathroom first and Ruby had sat behind him on the tile floor rubbing his lower back while he retched, her forehead resting between his shoulder blades. Cade was definitely his father's son – Leon reacted the same way to too much coffee as Cade did to chocolate. Now she knew why he got so upset that day Cade had been sick – he knew what he was going through.

Leaning down, Ruby pressed her lips to his brow, her fingers gently working through the tangles in his hair. He blinked up at her, miserable and tired. His eyes were bloodshot and he was pale. She gave him a soft smile and pressed a light kiss over his mouth.

"Lose the shirt, precious." She told him lightly, helping him ease out of the blue t-shirt, slipping it up and over his head as he sat limply. As soon as it was off he laid back down and Ruby resumed stroking his hair, watching him. "If you're going to go to sleep, Le, let me get comfortable first."

He sat up slowly and waited for her to arrange herself on her back then he laid back down with his head on her shoulder, arm curled around her waist.

Ruby nuzzled against the top of his head, dropping a kiss against it then turned her eyes back to the TV. They had come into his room after the Marissa incident, Leon apologising profusely to Angie for the broken lamp and the motherly woman reassuring him that she hated it anyway. Tala had assured Ruby that they didn't mind being left with Angie – Vince had already taken to her and they both wanted to get to know the woman who had given Leon the means to get to LA when he was a teenager after just two days of knowing him.

"You still awake, precious?" she asked after ten minutes. He nodded against her shoulder, sighing as his fingers flexed against her hip.

"I feel like shit." He grumbled, shifting his head from her shoulder so she could turn onto her side. He automatically moved his leg so she could curl against him and draped it back over hers once she was comfortable.

Her fingers ran through his hair, brushing it from his face. "Then you can remember this next time you substitute coffee for cigarettes." She smiled at his disgusted groan, cuddling him to her. "You're going to have to face him sooner or later, Le. He seems understanding – but I don't think he's going to let you run away from this."

Leon nodded. "I've been such a pain," he started, his voice quiet, " – I don't know if I can ever make it up to them."

Ruby brushed her thumb across his cheek. "Let yourself be happy, Leon." She kissed the tip of his nose and draped her arm around his neck, then quietly started humming a soft lullaby she'd taken to using with Cade when he stayed over.

Leon's eyes closed and he finally drifted off to sleep, securely wrapped around the red head.

* * *

Vince took a step back from the doorway and looked at his feet. He felt dirty – like he'd just intruded on a private moment between lovers, but at the same time he felt reassured. He'd asked where Leon's room was with the intention of seeing how Leon was doing after earlier and when he'd found it he'd been more than stunned to see Leon curled up with the odd young woman who jingled with every step. 

He leaned forward and peered back in the door – his shoulders slumping slightly when he saw Leon fast asleep while Ruby's ringed fingers ran through his hair, her lips resting against his forehead as she quietly hummed. They were entwined together and Vince knew that if she even moved Le would wake and probably not return to sleep, so as quietly as he could he tapped on the door to get her attention.

Bright green eyes turned in his direction and she smiled. "Hey." She said softly, "Woken any firemen lately?"

He shook his head, silently laughing. "No," he whispered, coming to stand by the bed, "-you?"

Ruby lifted a brow. "Well I haven't been to Wisconsin lately so it doesn't really matter, does it?"

Vince rolled his eyes and reached toward the bedside lamp that dimly lit the room. Ruby saw his intention and gave him a grateful smile.

"I was just wondering how I was going to manage that," she fell silent as Leon shifted in sleep and made a quiet sound, then settled again, "- thankyou, Vince."

He looked at her for a moment, then nodded and leant over her to touch Leon's head briefly. He looked at him for a moment then drew his hand back, and reached for the lamp again, this time flicking it off. The room fell into darkness save for the beam of light coming from the open doorway and he carefully made his way back around the bed to leave. He was almost at the door when Ruby called out to him in a whisper.

He turned back. "Yeah?"

"You smell nice." She told him quietly, the grin on her face evident in her tone. He shook his head and started out the door, pausing to look back at her. She grinned at him and he shook his head again, then eased the door closed.

He smirked, starting down the hall toward the living room. "That girl's nuts."

"You should hear her rant on the importance of music."

Vince jumped at the sound of the voice behind him and turned, looking down at the blonde teenager standing there in her Scooby Doo pyjamas. He recognised her from earlier and frowned, taking a step back.

"Who're you?" he asked abruptly.

The blonde quirked a brow. "Can't half tell you two are related, can you?" she sighed and held her hand out. "My name is Bethany – Angie is my mom."

Leon had mentioned a Bethany on the phone and he instantly relaxed. He'd said nothing but kind words about her. Vince slipped his paw like hand into hers, thankful she was left handed as his arm was hurting from carrying Rory earlier and shook.

"Vince – Leon's older brother."

She smiled brightly up at him, retracting her hand from his and made a slight waving gesture with her hand.

"I'm sorry for my friends earlier," her smile wilted, "-they have little to no tact at all."

Vince watched her go from cheerful looking to a little glum and frowned. He knew she was referring to the incident with Leon in the den earlier – after Ruby had somehow managed to remove him from the room Vince had been left with Angie and the girls, Tala having gone with Le and Ruby. They'd not even been out of the room for a minute, mere seconds before the group started whispering – less than quietly. He'd been far from comfortable in the room with them and had gruffly stated he needed to watch the kids and made a hasty exit. He heard Angie's voice scolding them even as he walked through the kitchen to go and sit out back with the kids and wait for Tala to resurface.

Vince blinked and looked down at Bethany, wrapping a thick arm around her shoulder. She jumped, not expecting it and hesitantly looked up at him. He knew he looked more than a little intimidating but married life had mellowed him and he couldn't stand to see a girl miserable. He had a feeling that being around Rory so much had something to do with that.

"As long as you keep the skanky one away from me," he started, "- we have no problems."

Bethany scoffed and laughed quietly, nodding. "That's what Le said," she looked up at Vince, nothing but friendly affection on her face, "- I really am sorry though. I should be able to keep my own friends under better control."

He pulled his arm away, shrugging. "We can't control our friends, Bethany." He touched his arm and for a moment he remembered the horror of being caught on the speeding semi, then he shook his head. "All we can do is tell them to fuck off when they're being a pain in the ass."

"Wow," her tone was quiet, awed, "- you give advice a lot, don't you." A cheeky grin spread across her face and he gave her a mock glare.

"It's almost midnight – go to bed."

"Alright, alright," she backed up, turning to walk away, "-goodnight grumpy bum."

Vince glowered after her, but said nothing, shaking his head at her retreating form before starting back toward the living room once more. His pace was slow – half expecting yet another person to pop out from somewhere and scare the living hell out of him, but this time his progress was unhindered.

Tala smiled adoringly at him as he entered the room and held her hands out to him, watching him as he sat beside her and wrapped his arms around her.

"So how is he?"

Vince sighed and nodded, carefully stroking an errant lock of hair from her eyes and tucking it back behind her ear.

"Yeah, he's fine. Sleeping it off." He replied, distracted.

Tala turned in his arms, draping her legs across his lap. He moved to accommodate her automatically, his hand resting on her leg just above the knee, the other wrapped around her back. One of her arms slipped around his neck and her free hand stroked his cheek.

"What's the matter, big guy?"

He kissed her palm, eyes closed then dropped his head back against the back of the couch.

"I don't know what to do with him – I really don't."

"He's hurting, Vince-"

Vince's head lifted and he silenced her with a look. "It has been two years, Tala. Two fucking years of him moping around and making everyone's life hell! He needs to fucking move on!" His voice was low and hushed, but lost none of it's fire. "He's not the only one it affected for gods sake."

Tala's hand never left his face the entire time he spoke, her thumb brushing over the scratchy stubble on his cheek.

"If you lost me," she felt a rush of adoration at his stricken look, "- how would you feel?"

"Wha- No. No don't say that." His arms tightened around her and she found herself crushed to his chest.

She looked up at him. "Answer the question, Vince."

He sighed and his arms loosened, releasing her. "My world would fall out from beneath me." He answered quietly. He caught the look on her face and rolled his eyes. "Yeah – ok – so he's hurt," his hand brushed her cheek, "-but isn't two years a little long to keep hating the world?"

She slipped her legs from his lap and stood as Angie returned to the room, announcing their room was ready. The older woman bid them a hasty goodnight seeing the dark look on Vince's face and left them alone.

Tala turned back to Vince and nodded toward the hall, going ahead of him into their room for the next few weeks.

Vince closed the door behind them and immediately kicked out of his boots, tugging his shirt over his head. He threw it over by their bags and started on his belt as Tala got changed for bed.

"I fucking hate this," he muttered, pushing his jeans to his ankles, "- I want to hit him but I want to hug him too."

The small woman laughed, crawling into bed. "It's called being a sibling, Vince. You're just concerned for him."

"He's being an ass." Vince snapped.

Tala gave her husband a soft smile as she watched him ease on a light elasticised elbow guard. _He must be in pain_, she thought to herself. He hardly wore those unless he'd overdone it and needed that little bit if extra pressure to help ease the ache.

"You're just concerned." She repeated, as he climbed into the bed beside her.

Vince snorted. "I'm going to kill him."

She lay down beside him and rubbed the spot over his heart where he had the word 'Aurora' tattooed. The little girl loved sitting on her daddy's knee and tracing her little fingers over the cursive lettering of her name on his chest.

In a soft voice, she repeated the statement once more. "You're just concerned."

Vince turned to look at her, his blue eyes glassy and sad. "I'm worried about him."

"I know baby," she stroked his bearded cheek, the coarse hair tickling her palm, "I know you are."


	29. Confronted x 2

**A/N: Thankyou to : Buggleywoo, arwenq, betty-boo, leslienicolespeaks, Dani, crematoriacon and Jet for reviewing. That's really all there is to say i think - Thankyou. On with the update now!

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Leon rubbed his eyes, yawning, his knees pulled up to his chest. His breath puffed out in front of him in a visible cloud against the chilled morning air and despite the suns rays beaming down already, he was cold.

"Should have stayed in bed with Ruby," he mumbled, fumbling with his cigarette packet, "-at least she was warm."

He shifted more into the sun and lit his cigarette, tossing the lighter back down with the crumpled packet before he laid down on his stomach to sun himself - and hopefully warm up.

He still felt a bit queasy and his head pounded like a drum, but overall he felt much better than he had last night. He barely even looked back over his shoulder when he heard the sliding door open and someone's feet slapping against the laminated decking. He groaned at the vibrations the footsteps sent straight to his still upset stomach and rolled onto his side, eyes closed.

"Can we talk now?"

Leon groaned again, this time annoyed. "Look, V – now's not a good time."

Vince growled, kicking Leon in the side. "The last two years haven't been a 'good time', Leon! You've been a total fucking pig and I'm sick of it!"

The younger man fought the bout of nausea that swelled up on him and clutched at his side where Vince's big foot had landed.

"Jesus Christ, Vince!" he snarled, sitting up. He jammed his cigarette into his mouth and glared up at his big brother. He'd not seen that look on Vince's face in a long time and inwardly he wondered how he was going to get away from his irate brother. He knew Vince wanted to hurt him for the way he'd treated his family but knowing that and knowing it was about to happen were two entirely different things.

Glancing back toward the kitchen window he could see movement inside and heard talking.

"Look – I'm not doing this in front of the kids." He stubbed his cigarette out and stood, "So it'll have to wait."

Vince sighed heavily and nodded. "Fine – but we are going to talk, Leon." He stepped closer and brought his face right up close to Leon's. "You made my baby cry, Le – no-one gets away with that." He turned on his heel and stomped back inside and Leon let out a long, shuddering breath.

"Fuck."

He heard the telltale jingle that accompanied Ruby and looked up at her as she came out the door, a strange look on her face.

"He's a little scary you know."

Leon quirked a brow, anger flaring in his gut. "Did he say something to you?"

She looked startled and shook her head, "No – just looks a little ticked off is all," she walked over to stand in front of him and brushed her knuckles across his bare skin over the red mark left by Vince's foot. "He hit you?"

"Kicked me," he muttered, distracted, "-he's going to hit me later when the kids aren't around." Without even thinking his arms curled around her and brought her to his chest.

Ruby slipped her arms down around his waist and leaned into the hug, her cheek pressing against the cool metal of his nipple ring. She knew that Leon was going to be all over the place until he spoke with Vince and from what Tala had said just a minute ago inside, it was going to be painful. Both men were too stubborn to just let it go without a fight.

She smoothed her hands across his lower back, her fingertips easing just below the waist of his shorts to trace the warm skin beneath. He made a quiet sound of appreciation and squeezed her against him, then backed up and sat in one of the chairs nearby. Long fingers wrapped around Ruby's wrist and tugged gently, pulling her toward him until she was standing against his legs.

She looked down at him, his face still a little off colour and allowed him to pull her into his lap, straddling him. He dropped his head against her chest and breathed a deep sigh. Her fingers tangled in his hair, her cheek against the top of his head.

His hands rubbed slow circles over her back and ran down to cup her ass and he lifted his head to look at her.

"That's my shirt." He stated, eyeing the black long sleeved shirt. It fell to mid thigh on her and a pair of his boxers peeked out from beneath. The sleeves were far too long, as was the case with all his shirts on her, and the black cotton swamped her. It was one of his old work shirts from when he went to shows with Marcus – one of the shop's shirts.

She shrugged elegantly and palmed his hair from his face, not even responding to the fact that his hands had slipped around to slide up her thighs and beneath the legs of the boxers she wore.

"I couldn't stay in that skirt all night – and I didn't know if Cade or anyone else would come in so I couldn't sleep naked." She reasoned.

Leon smirked, "So you took some of my clothes," he shook his head, his fingers tracing over her inner thigh lightly, "-without asking."

Ruby nodded, squirming as his fingers crept higher still to trace over the thin fabric of her panties. She gave him a wide eyed look. "Leon!"

"What?" he blinked innocently at her, his fingers easing beneath the elastic to tease the sensitive flesh beneath. His innocent look turned into a grin as she jumped and slapped him, her eyes darting toward the nearby window.

"Get your hand away from there," she scolded quietly, wriggling backward slightly, "-anyone could see."

He chuckled, the sound quiet and raspy and he grinned at her. "And who's the one without a sense of adventure now?" He brought his hands back up to rest on the _outside_ of her thighs and leaned back in the seat, eyes closed.

Ruby traced lightly across his temples. "Do you still feel sick?"

He nodded slowly, blinking at her. "I-" he paused and stared off to her left and Ruby turned, feeling his hands tighten their grip on her thighs. She quirked a brow when she saw Marissa standing at the bottom of the steps.

"Leon – don't." Ruby warned, turning back to him. She took his face in her hands and forced him to look at her, blocking his view of the mousy haired teenager glaring a hole through her back. "Just let it go, precious."

He looked up at her and nodded, visibly holding himself in check. "C'mere." He tugged her further up his legs and she lay forward against his chest, her arms draped down over his shoulders and behind his back. She heard a disgusted scoff and Marissa's feet stomping against the steps up onto the deck.

"No wonder he keeps you around," she snapped as she stalked toward the back door, "- I give it a month before there's another little bastard on the way."

Ruby's jaw dropped and she felt Leon go completely tense beneath her. The tears started to push their way to the surface and she felt Leon's fingers dig into her legs.

"Wait a fucking minute," he snarled at the teenager, "Who the hell do you think you are? You don't know a damn thing about me, my son or his mother, so you can **keep your fucking mouth shut**!" He was shouting by now and Ruby heard the back door creak open but was unable to react. She was still in shock – trying to hold it together so Leon didn't catch on that Marissa's comment had hit home.

She squirmed, trying to free herself from Leon's grip. It had tightened almost painfully and she could feel the skin starting to sting and throb beneath his fingers. Tears stung at her eyes, both from what had been said and the almost crushing grip Leon had on her legs. Remembering the last time he had hold of her like this she tugged at his nipple ring roughly and he let her loose, glancing at her briefly as she scrambled back out of his lap. He rose with her.

"What the hell gives you the impression that you have the right to come here and talk to **my** best friend like that! How fucking dare you disrespect her like that!"

Ruby looked up at Leon, seeing that he was beyond reasoning and hurried past him as he shouted angrily and profanely at Marissa. She didn't even glance back at the arguing pair as she squeezed past a stunned Bethany standing by the back door and looked at Vince. He was looking out the window, his face etched with shock as he watched and listened to Leon tear shreds off the teenager in front of him.

"I can't guarantee that he wont get violent with her," she told the big man, "-but I'm going for a shower. You can deal with him."

Vince started around the counter and for the first time Ruby noticed just how big he was as he strode toward the back door. No wonder Leon was nervous about him getting his hands on him.

Angie appeared in the kitchen doorway and looked around. "What's going on?"

Ruby waved absently toward the deck where the ruckus was coming from. "Leon's shouting, Vince is mediating, Marissa's being a filthy little bitch and I'm going for a shower."

She quietly muttered an 'excuse me' as she pushed by Angie and headed straight for the bathroom, slamming the door shut and turning the water on as hot as she could stand it before tugging her clothes off and dumping them in a pile on the floor. As a last minute thought she flipped the lock on the door and climbed into the shower.

_I can't believe I'm letting her upset me_, Ruby thought as she sat in the bathtub with the water beating down on her. Marissa's words had brought the past month's events rushing back, just when she thought she was getting over it. Tears spilled down her cheeks and she buried her face in her hands, desperate not to make a sound and let anyone know just how upset she was. Leon's reaction further cemented her decision not to tell him about the baby – he wouldn't have wanted it anyway.

Her chest hurt and she wanted to just curl up and sob like a baby but she knew if she didn't come out of the bathroom sometime soon Leon was going to get suspicious. She'd taken off fairly quickly once he'd let go of her.

She sniffled, running her fingertips over the dark spots on her thighs, perfect finger marks. They were already starting to bruise and from the looks of things, they would be bad ones.

"Shit," she mumbled, "-he doesn't know his own strength."

Sighing, Ruby took hold of the sides of the tub and climbed to her feet, standing beneath the spray for another five minutes before she shut the water off and dried off. She picked up the clothes she'd been wearing and eased the bathroom door open then peeked out, holding her towel closed with one hand. The hall was empty and she had a clear run for Leon's room so she darted out into the hall and ran up into his bedroom, then closed the door and locked it. Leaning her head against it she mentally noted that the screaming had stopped. Either he'd killed Marissa or things had been taken care of.

A throat cleared behind her and Ruby jumped, spinning around to see Leon sitting on the bed, his hands in his lap watching her.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly, holding his hands out to her. Ruby nodded wordlessly and threw the clothes down on the floor at the end of the bed, then walked straight into his arms.

Her own misery was forgotten as soon as her hands slipped across the back of his neck and felt the knotted muscles there. She pressed a kiss to his neck just below his ear and snuggled in closer to him, laying her head against his shoulder. His hands ran over her back lightly and he returned the gesture, fingers sweeping her hair back over her pale shoulder to do so.

"Don't you listen to the stupid little tramp, gemstone," his chest rumbled with every word and she sighed, eyes closing. "She hasn't got a clue what she's talking about."

Ruby nodded against his shoulder but said nothing. If she opened her mouth now she was bound to blurt out everything and that was the last thing Leon needed right now. It wasn't his problem anyway.

"Are you ok?" She asked softly, pulling back from him. She moved to take a step back and his fingers caught the edge of her towel, her brow lifting as it fell to the floor. Leon smiled at her, a bright, boyish grin and he stood up only to lean down and press an open mouthed kiss to her lips. He drew back.

"I'm alright," he looked her over and spotted the bruises on her thighs, "-fuck. I did that didn't I." He rolled his eyes angrily. "Of course I fucking did." His callused finger tips brushed over the tender spots and he frowned. He looked up at her with wide, glassy green eyes.

"I'm so sorry, gemstone." His hand curled around the back of her neck and drew her closer until he dropped his forehead against hers. "I really am."

Ruby ran her hand up his arm, tracing over the intricate tattoo on his right shoulder. "It's alright, Le – you didn't realise."

He held her to him, the pads of his fingers tracing over her shoulder blades lightly.

"Let me make it up to you – picnic in the park. Cade's been wanting to go anyway and I know how you like the swings."

Ruby grinned, her fingers drumming against his strong arm. "V, Tala and Rory too?"

Leon nodded. "Of course."

She squealed happily, her earlier unhappiness pushed aside for now. She'd deal with that later – now she had to find some clothes to put on until Leon took her back to her place to get something.

"I need to borrow something until I can get some clean clothes of my own."

Leon held up her skirt, brow cocked. "What's wrong with this?"

"I've got no clean underwear, Le."

He grinned, waving the white gauzy skirt in front of her. "Well then you're lucky it's lined, aren't you." He laughed at the look on her face and pecked her on the forehead. "Relax – I'll stop via your place." He looked her over, reaching out to brush his thumb across her naked skin. "Under duress."

Ruby flushed pink and snatched the skirt from his hand, tugging it on over her head and to her waist. She held her hand out. "My top, you dirty pig."

Leon looked at the pretty green velvet tank in his hand. "I think you should leave it off," he held it above his head as she grabbed for it, "-come on, you can do better than tha- OW!"

He let go of the top and his hand flew to cover his nipple, his face the picture of pain. "Will you **stop** doing that?" He looked down at his poor abused nipple and touched it lightly, wincing.

Ruby grinned and slipped the shirt on, righting the neckline and straps. "I asked nicely."

"You called me a pig." He dead panned.

She giggled. "No – I called you a dirty pig. Difference."

Leon scoffed, still looking at his chest. "Kiss it better." He pointed. Ruby rolled her eyes and tipped his chin up so he was looking at her then leant in and pressed her lips to his in a soft kiss.

"All better now?"

He sighed against her cheek, wrapping his arm around her. "It's getting there."


	30. Results Of A Painful Conversation

**A/N: Alright- new chapter, same thanks. Buggleywoo (yay - 4 weeks!), leslienicolespeaks, betty-boo, o.O, Dani and Jet are all wonderful bunnies for reviewing and as for all the other people who read but _didn't_ review - well thank you too. Still hate that hit counter though..**

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Leon hissed at the sharp stinging and closed his eyes. He could feel the peroxide bubbling away in the wound on his head, still oozing blood and filled with gritty sand. He and Vince had finally had their talk – he'd managed to avoid it for the first three days but the bigger man's patience had finally run out and he had taken Le by the back of the neck and dragged him down to the beach. 

It had started as just talking, then elevated to shouting, then a full on fist fight. Leon had no choice but to fight back, if he hadn't then Vince very well could have killed him.

"Le, this isn't going to work. Either tilt your head back or we can stand you in the shower. Would that be easier?"

He squinted his eyes open and looked up at Ruby, the bitter tang of blood still in his mouth. He'd been lucky the first time Vince had hit him when he was younger – it was just the once. But this time, this time that nasty left hook had been thrown more than once, many times actually. His jaw hurt, as did his ribs, his head was bleeding and he was sure he would have a black eye soon.

"I'll need help." He replied reluctantly, his hands sliding over hers slickly and wrapping around her forearms as she helped him stand. He had blood in his eyes and couldn't see very well. Vince's wedding ring had busted him open close to the hairline and as a result the blood was just pouring out of him. Tala assured him that it was completely normal for a head wound to bleed so much, given it's location.

Ruby guided him carefully down the hallway of her home and into the bathroom.

"Clothes off or on?" she asked gently, sitting him down on the toilet seat to turn on the shower.

Leon blinked rapidly, pressing his tongue against a cut on the inside of his mouth. "May as well leave them on," he patted his pockets to make sure they were empty and dug out his lighter, cell phone and wallet, then tossed them in the sink, "- the water will rinse most of the blood out of my shirt that way."

Ruby nodded, shucking out of her skirt to stand there just in her panties and a tank, then took off her bangles. She didn't want to scrape any of the sore spots on his face or ribs with them as she was cleaning him up. She didn't bother with closing the bathroom door as Tala may have needed to come in to get something for any of Vince's own wounds.

Her hands slipped into his, her face screwing up at the slick, sticky feeling of the blood on his palms. He'd been holding his head all the way back to the house and given the tiny gash was bleeding so freely, by the time he got back his face was a mess and Vince had to guide him. Not that the bigger of the two escaped unscathed himself – he was sporting a nasty welt beneath his right eye, had a limp from where Leon had kicked him and his bottom lip was well and truly split. Tala was out in the kitchen cleaning him up at that very moment. She'd tried to see to Leon first but he'd have nothing of it. Ruby had been a little surprised when he'd insisted on **her** helping him.

"Alright Le, that's it." She glanced back and stepped into the shower first, then helped Leon in. He shrunk away from the warm water at first and Ruby helped him sit down, then tipped his head back to start cleaning him up. Her hand ran back over his forehead, smoothing his hair back away from the cut. The water ran pink as it started washing away the blood.

"So did you two work things out?" She asked, carefully picking some hair from the wound on his head. Once that was done, she carefully brushed over the bloody gash with the tip of her finger to rid it of any lingering sand. The water was flushing most of it out anyway.

Leon flinched. "Yeah – we established that I am an insensitive prick, and that Vince has fists like cinder blocks. Even with his bum arm."

Ruby giggled. Despite the fact that he'd just gone round for round with his much larger big brother, he was in good spirits. "I could have told you that you were a prick Leon," she knelt beside him, just under the water's spray, "-all you had to do was ask."

He smirked, swatting at her blindly. "None of that now," he cleared his throat, "- we managed to sort things out though."

She tenderly wiped over his face with a washcloth, careful not to press too hard over the swollen curve of his cheekbone. His eye was starting to blacken and there was a distinct darker stripe just near his eye from Vince's wedding band she was guessing.

"That's good then." Ruby ran her thumb over the swollen skin and Leon hissed, blinking his eyes open beneath the stream of water to clear them.

She thought back to what Leon had said about Vince and sat back on her heels, watching him rub his eyes.

"Precious?"

He grunted, signalling for her to go on, that he was listening.

"What happened to Vince's arm?" she asked quietly, hesitant. Leon blinked, able to see now and looked at her for a long moment, then sighed and ran his hand back over his head. He winced when his watch band caught the wound on his head and it started to bleed again. Ruby immediately pressed the washcloth over it and held it down, waiting.

"We used to do stupid things, Ruby – very, very stupid things. Vince got caught out and got hurt."

She noticed he was wary of talking about it and nodded, letting it go. It was much like the Letty situation – if he wanted her to know, or needed to talk about it he knew that she was there to listen. Standing up, she held his hand over the washcloth and started easing him out of his shirt.

"You could be a little more helpful, Leon." She muttered, working his arm out of the wet sleeve. His lips brushed her thigh, over one of the purple marks where his fingers had dug in three days earlier and Ruby stopped, looking down at him.

"Leon – less mouthing, more helping." She scolded gently.

He leant back and held his arms up slowly, wincing at the ache in his ribs. Ruby frowned at the red marks but she wouldn't sympathise, not when she knew that he'd had this beating coming for the past two years. He'd been a total jerk to his family from what she could gather – who knows, it might have knocked some sense into him.

"Alright, Le, I'm going to go and close the door so you can strip off completely. You can't be comfortable in all that wet denim."

He nodded slowly, already fumbling with the button on his jeans before she was even out of the shower and padding across the tiles to shut the door. She was just about there when she saw Tala out in the hall.

"Is he alright?" she asked the younger woman quietly.

Ruby nodded. "He'll be fine," she glanced back at Leon still struggling with his jeans, "-though you might want to take a look at that head wound. It's bleeding fairly badly."

Tala lifted a brow but nodded. "I'll do it once he gets out of the shower."

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Leon eased the bedroom door open and peered inside, quietly creeping in to sit beside the bed on the floor. Cade lay sleeping, his hair a riot and his thumb securely in his mouth with the covers tucked up around his chin. Tentatively Leon reached out and stroked his hair. The little boy shifted in sleep and burrowed deeper into his pillow. He'd lost count of the amount of times he'd done this when Cade was a baby, just sitting beside the crib watching him sleep, listening to him breathe. For hours on end he'd sit there, his arm hanging over the side of the crib, fingers barely touching his baby son's belly as it rose and fell in sleep. 

It had been the first night he had him at home that everything had sunk in, that he was alone now. He'd been laying on the bed just staring at the ceiling when Cade had woken up and started to cry. So many emotions had hit him all at once – concern, fear, anger, sadness, love. There'd been a moment where he'd just lain there and considered not getting up again, but that had only lasted seconds at the most and he'd been on his feet, carefully lifting the wailing infant into his arms. Only once he'd gotten him fed and back to sleep did he allow himself the luxury of crying for his loss, for Cade's loss.

Leon edged his hands beneath Cade gently and lifted him, easing him across the single bed before he climbed in himself and pulled the blanket up over them. Cade snuggled into his chest right away without waking and Leon brought his hand up to cup the back of his son's little head. He brushed a kiss across the caramel skin on his forehead and sighed against him, cuddling him closer. Cade hadn't been sleeping with him much since he'd come to Miami as he usually shared a bed with Ruby and Leon had found himself missing the tug on the side of the bed in the middle of the night, the little hands tapping on his arm until he woke and lifted him into the bed. That had happened a lot once he'd learned to walk steadily on his own. He would start out the night in his crib and somehow by morning he would end up in the bed beside Leon, sprawled and snoring contently. It was the same thing Rory did with Vince – no matter how many times you'd put them back in their beds they would always end up with their respective fathers.

Leon knew that's what had happened tonight. Rory had been curled up in bed with Cade for some time when she'd appeared in the kitchen, bleary eyed and half asleep looking for daddy. Despite his sore ribs, Leon had picked her up and taken her into Vince and Tala, already in bed. Once she was securely beneath her father's thick arm she was happy and readily went back to sleep.

Ruby had been more than generous putting the family up for the next week over the Christmas break. Angie's older children were all coming home for the holiday's and there had been a small issue with space that had been overlooked. That was why he, Cade, Vince, Tala and Rory were at Ruby's place now. Not to mention the whole Marissa issue – after the debacle where he'd tore her down **in front** of Vince, she'd backed off him and had started pursuing Vince himself. Leon grinned at the memory of the day prior when they'd all been out on the back deck at Angie's.

Vince had been lazing back in one of the chairs with a beer, as he did best, when the persistent teen had showed up and tried to sit on his knee. Her ass had no sooner hit his jeans when Vince's hand had calmly reached out and shoved her off him. The move on his part had been unexpected by the girl and she had toppled to the deck with a thump. Vince had merely quirked a brow and took another sip of his beer as Rory clamoured into his lap and got comfy. He'd then quietly informed her that if she tried something like that again he wouldn't be as polite about it the next time. Poor Ruby had almost fallen over laughing at the stunned look on Marissa's face and Angie hadn't been far behind her. The teenager had stormed off humiliated and proclaimed she was never coming back – a total joke as apparently she'd shown up not a half hour after they'd left the house that morning.

In a completely unrelated matter, his head still hurt from where Vince had socked him earlier.

Cade stirred against Leon's chest and blinked his big selkie brown eyes open. His little hand pressed to Leon's cheek.

"Daddy not sleep?"

Leon almost cried at how grown up his little boy sounded now, he was only two but some of the things he would come out with made him wonder. The boy was an old soul.

He shook his head. "Daddy bumped his head earlier, remember? I'm not allowed to go to sleep for a little while so I thought I'd come in to you." He rubbed Cade's back lightly. "Do you want me to go?"

The little boy snuggled closer. "Where Miss Ruby?"

"She's in bed, sleeping." Leon replied, "Do you want to go in there with her too?"

Cade nodded sleepily and sat up, waiting for his father to climb from the bed before he held his arms up. Once he was in Leon's arms he laid his head against his shoulder and dozed off again before they'd even reached the bedroom. He woke momentarily when he was set down against the soft mattress but fell back to sleep straight away. Ruby on the other hand woke up just as Leon was crawling into bed and was surprised by their visitor.

"Something wrong, precious?" she asked softly, touching both Cade's head then his own briefly.

He shook his head. "He wanted to come in," he motioned vaguely to the TV, "-do you mind?"

The red head nestled back down into the soft bedding, shaking her head. "Just keep it quiet and make sure the door's closed so you don't wake V or Tal."

Leon bent to kiss her head. "Thanks for fixing me up earlier."

She gave him a ghost of a smile and yawned, snuggling with Cade. "Don't mention it – you'd do the same for me."

"If that happened to you I'd hunt down whoever did it and kill them." He muttered, flicking the TV on with the remote. Ruby's hand pat his stomach, reaching over Cade to do so.

"You're so sweet, Le."

He smirked. "Don't get used to it."

Ruby snorted, already halfway back to sleep. "Don't worry, sweetie," she yawned again, "- I wont."


	31. Birthday Boy

**A/N: Big fat thankyou to Ms Fi, leslienicolespeaks, betty-boo and Dani for reviewing the last chapter and all the people who read too.

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The breeze was almost cold as it swept up the hill directly off the ocean, the night quiet and calm.

Leon stared at the glowing tip of the cigarette pinched between his fingers and sighed, the bright red glow casting a dim light across the plane of his cheek, a faint glimmer in his eye. His hair was ruffled by the breeze and fell across his eyes, obscuring his view of the glowing ember momentarily. For a moment everything went dark, then with the next gust of wind the brown lock of hair flipped back over his head and he could see again.

It was eleven thirty p.m. on the twenty seventh of December – half an hour left of the day and half an hour left of his twenty seventh birthday. Nobody had said anything as nobody there knew – Vince and Tala had gone back to Los Angeles late the night before after staying almost two weeks so they'd not been there to tell anyone. Quite frankly Leon was somewhat pleased that nobody knew. He didn't feel like celebrating all that much at the moment and truth be told, hadn't done so since the year before Letty had died. His twenty fourth birthday had been the last time he'd celebrated said event. He and Letty had spent the day curled up in bed, alternately watching old black and white movies and making love. The only time either one of them left each other the entire day had been for food and bathroom breaks. He smiled at the memory, remembering her soft, breathy laughter as he mouthed over her stomach, tracing patterns with his tongue and tickling her with his goatee… She always loved that. The feel of his coarse facial hair tickling across her skin. She'd mourned the loss of it when he'd shaved the one time and wouldn't kiss him until it grew back, or at least until he had stubble. He'd only done that the one time and after seeing her reaction had never done it again. He swore to himself there and then that he'd never be clean shaven again – and so far he hadn't been.

He ran his free hand over his goatee and sighed again, scratching at his chin, blunt fingernails dragging over the smooth scars under his jaw. Vince's last words before leaving lingered in the back of his mind, hanging there like a heavy, rain filled cloud.

"_You're holding onto her too tightly, Le – Letty's gone and as much as it hurts, believe me I know it does, you can't keep pushing us all away. We love you Leon and we hate to see you hurting this way." His eyes darkened and he clapped his large hand down on his shoulder. "You've got yourself a wonderful woman in that little girl, Le - she adores you and the brat. Don't fuck it up by screwing with her head. **Don't**. You both deserve more than that."_

_Leon started to protest, but he was cut off by Vince's raised hand._

"_Look – I know you're not 'together' together, but from what I've seen Le, that girl is **your** woman. She's for you. Don't ass around for too long and risk losing her to someone else."_

Leon's thoughts took on a darker edge at the thought of another man putting his hands on Ruby, kissing her, watching her as she arched and writhed beneath him. His fingers clenched tightly into fists then released slowly, blunt nails biting into his palms. No other man was allowed to touch her like that. Not while he still breathed anyway. No chance in hell. Those things were reserved for him and him only – the only other living being allowed to kiss Ruby and get away with it was Cade and he hardly counted.

Ruby had been there for him through it all – even when he'd treated her like shit she had stuck by his side and still took care of him, took care of Cade. He didn't know of many women her age that would put up with a moody bastard like himself, let alone take care of his son when he was less than capable of doing so himself. At that very moment she was inside curled up in her bed with Cade, the two of them watching a re-run of The Grinch. It was only two days after Christmas so technically it was still the holiday season – at least he considered it so until new years day. Nonetheless, she was inside, curled up with his son whilst he had some alone time outside in the dark. She'd not asked questions, just merely nodded and curled herself around Cade's little body on the bed, her ringed fingers stroking and running through his dark, dark hair. Occasionally she would whisper something softly to him or dot a kiss against his head, giving him the love that only a mother figure could provide for him.

Leon flinched when he realised that was what she had become to them. She was almost Cade's mother in most ways – he adored her and she him, she took care of him, fed him, bought him useless little toys he'd never play with again… she loved him with all her worth and had no qualms about telling him so. If they went more than a day without seeing her Cade would throw a tantrum that would put the thunder gods to shame until Leon agreed to take him to see her. He'd felt guilty about imposing all the time until she'd put him in his place and insisted that she enjoyed having them around all the time. She literally lit up when Cade would talk to her animatedly about something or someone he'd seen during their time apart – she truly loved the little boy as if he were her own.

It was getting to the stage that Leon couldn't see their lives without her in it in some way, shape or form. If she were to go away he wasn't sure how he would cope – he knew Cade would eventually deal, but himself.. he wasn't quite sure If he could lose another person that admittedly meant so much to him. She was his best friend and thinking about it, really thinking, Vince was right.

It was Christmas night when Vince and Tala were still there and Angie had offered to take the kids for the night while the adults went out to have a few drinks at the local bar. Both himself and Vince had been seated at the table whilst Tala ran off to the bathroom and Ruby went to the bar to get herself another drink when some punk college student had snared Ruby by the arm and started flirting with her. Being as innocent to these things as she was, she had no idea but both Vince and he had noticed right away. They knew how the minds of twenty year old men worked. The bleach blonde pretty boy would take her talking to him as a green light and would really start laying it on thick. At first Leon had tried to ignore it, but as time wore on and a few words turned into five, then ten minutes he'd grown antsy and irritated. Ruby was just being her friendly self but the guy honestly thought she was interested. It was all he could do not to run over there and plant his fist in his pretty face. He'd quietly excused himself and edged around both V and the recently returned Tala and made his way across the bar to stand by Ruby's side. The blonde had given him a superior look, that was until Ruby noticed him standing there and her face lit up, her arms wrapping around his waist. Curling his own arms around her back, Leon quickly affirmed that she belonged to him and nobody else. The guy had backed off quickly enough and poor Ruby had been confused as to why he'd suddenly turned cold and left.

He smiled at the memory. The poor girl was so naive to the intentions of guys her age that it was bordering on ridiculous, but he found it adorable. It was one of her most endearing traits – her innocence to everything. She wasn't stupid by any means, but she still had an air of innocence about her when it came to the opposite sex. He loved that about her. The way she'd still blush when she saw him naked, the shy way she'd look at him as he touched her bare flesh… The tentative way she'd explore his body with her fingertips, her mouth. He loved that about her and quite frankly, he hoped she never changed.

Leon stared at his lap, noticing his cigarette had gone out long ago and he sighed. The more he thought about what Vince had said to him the more he started to think he was undeniably right. Nobody would ever replace Letty in his heart, **nobody**, but just because she was gone didn't mean he had to cling to her and wish it was all just a dream. He wasn't living while he was still trying to live in the past. She was gone and as much as it hurt and as unfair as it seemed, there was nothing he could do about that. In principle he had himself a good, loving woman who cared about both him and his son, who got along famously with his family but he was running the risk of losing her just because he was being pig headed. He'd almost lost her once because of his inability to let go of the past and if he kept going he would most likely do it again.

It had almost killed him the last time she'd refused to see him or speak to him and he wasn't sure he could endure that again.

Looking up at the sky, Leon gazed across the dark blanket of stars and slowly closed his eyes.

"I love you, Letty." He whispered to the wind, "I hope you're happy wherever you are," he opened his eyes and stood, rubbing his arms, "- but it's time for me to let you go. I'll never forget you and I'll always love you." He blinked rapidly, tears filling his eyes. "Always, Let."

He tossed the burnt out cigarette butt into the garbage can just by the back door and went back inside, inhaling the soft lilac scent of Ruby's perfume that lingered all over the house. He smiled ever so slightly and took a deep breath, then slowly let it out. It was time for him to move on and step back out of the darkness he'd let himself become consumed by.

"Le?" looking up he saw Ruby standing in the doorway to the hall, "Are you alright, precious?"

He nodded slowly. "Where's the boy?"

She smiled, moving toward the fridge. "He's sleeping now – just dropped off." She turned to look over her shoulder as she produced a bottle of water from the fridge, "I was just going to leave him in our bed tonight, is that ok?"

"Yeah, yeah that's fine."

He watched her pour herself a drink and then looked at the clock. Ten minutes left of his birthday. Wrestling with himself, he finally decided that it was the first of many baby steps that needed to be taken to start moving on.

"Ruby?"

"Yeah, precious?" she looked up at him, eyes wide and imploring.

He rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat. "It um.." he shifted nervously, "It's my birthday. Today."

Her silence unnerved him for a moment, then he saw the tears in her eyes and she slowly moved to stand before him. Her arms snaked up around his neck and she leant forward, brushing her lips across his lightly.

"Happy birthday baby." She whispered, nuzzling his cheek.

Leon slowly brought his arms up to wrap around her and rested his chin against her shoulder, cuddling her to his chest. Her hand ran across his shoulders then came up into the hair at the nape of his neck and her fingernails scraped against his scalp. He drew back at her insistence and gave her a bemused look.

She bit her lip tentatively and brushed her fingers across his cheek, her thumb sweeping over the skin beneath his eye, still stained an ugly shade of yellow from where Vince had hit him the week before.

"Go and put Cade in his bed," she whispered, leaning in to kiss him softly, darting her tongue out over his bottom lip, "-I'll be in in a minute."

A slow smile spread across Leon's face and he nodded, backing out of the kitchen to go and move Cade into his room and his own bed. They couldn't exactly celebrate his birthday with Cade laying in the bed between them now, could they.


	32. The Interview Process

**A/N: Alright - I'm a bit wary posting this chapter on its own as it's a sort of filler type chapter, but what the hell - you'll get a proper one next time. Big thankyou to Ms Fi, betty-boo, Dani and leslienicolespeaks for reviewing the last chapter!

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Cade's tiny fingers tangled in the rows of glass beads around Ruby's neck, sparkling and shining in the sunlight. There was every colour under the sun on the string – it had been a gift from Cade for Christmas. Apparently Bethany had helped him make her some little beaded necklets and necklaces. That morning when she'd walked out wearing them the smile that lit up his face had been bright enough to light up even the darkest depths of the ocean. It was blinding almost. The sheer joy on his face had been enough to keep her going for the rest of the day.

It was just past new years and as Leon was looking for work, part time at least, he'd left Cade in Ruby's care for the day and they'd embarked on a long day out around town and to the park. She was still on leave from work for another week.

Ruby was flopped on the grass, her arms stretched out on either side of her while Cade's head lay against her breast, fingers still playing with the colourful beads against her throat. She'd long since kicked her shoes off and they lay nearby with her bag and Cade's shoes as well. Her black velvet baby doll dress shone in the muted sunlight, torn and faded blue jeans covering her legs. She'd let Cade pick her clothes for the day and not surprisingly the little boy had chosen a dress that felt 'pretty' to him. Something he liked to cuddle and snuggle against. It hadn't been a big surprise at all that he'd insisted on being carried and was always touching her somehow at all times. Originally when he'd begun that kind of behaviour she'd just assumed that he was a naturally affectionate child, but when Leon had told her that he didn't usually take to anyone at all she'd been floored. She'd fallen in love with him instantly and apparently, the feeling was mutual.

"Miss Ruby?"

She lifted her head to look down at Cade, green eyes meeting big, dark selkie brown ones. He was a beautiful child, he truly was. He had so much of his father in him, yet so much of his mother that it was incredible. Her bejewelled hand came up to push his hair out of his eyes.

"Yes, handsome?" her tone was affectionate and warm, bringing a dimpled grin to the boy's face. His little palm pushed against her as he sat upright, then crawled over her belly and dropped himself on top of her giggling. Her breath whooshed out of her lungs and she coughed lightly, smiling at his childish laughter.

"'M hungry." He told her matter-o-factly, giving a slight nod as well. He squealed with laughter as Ruby's fingers gently dug into his sides and tickled, lifting him high over her in the air. His dark hair hung down around his face and his little round cheeks were dimpled in an almost permanent grin as he looked down at her. Ruby lowered him down to lay over her chest, his chin resting on his hands that laid across the swell of her cleavage. It was a position Leon favoured as well. She could almost see his father in his eyes and had the distinct feeling as he grew, Cade would mature to look more like Leon, just a darker version.

"Alright then, sweetheart – what would you like?" She glanced at her watch as he umm-ed and ahh-ed and was startled to see that it was almost one pm already. No wonder he was hungry! He'd not eaten since seven thirty that morning when Leon had plopped him in front of the television with a glass of milk and a bowl of dry cereal. She felt herself warm at the memory of the two of them watching early morning cartoons and eating their cereal, both mussed from bed and in their boxers. Yes, Cade even had little boxer shorts just so he could be like daddy. The little boy had a serious case of hero worship there.

Cade tapped lightly against her cheek with the palm of his hand, nudging her slightly. "Have 'cided." He informed her. There was a moment where Ruby was once again winded but then Cade was off her and standing patiently beside her waiting to put his shoes back on.

"Well then, little man – what's for lunch?" She asked him as he stepped into his miniature sneaker, hand braced on Ruby's shoulder as she tied the laces. One that was done she watched him point over the road toward the shopping complex.

"Want noodles, please."

Ruby grinned, slipping her feet into her sandals before standing up. "Chinese?"

Cade's hair flopped into his eyes as he nodded enthusiastically. "Noodles." He was almost bouncing on the spot and could barely contain himself even when she took his hand to lead him across the street. She was barely able to refrain from laughing as he tugged her insistently toward the food court, jabbering on about noodles and spring rolls.

He was happily perched on her hip, head on her shoulder as he watched their food being placed onto plates and a tray.

"Miss Ruby – some for daddy too." He pointed to what he knew as his fathers favourite dish, Kung Po Chicken and gave Ruby the biggest puppy eyes. "Daddy wont eaten."

Nodding, Ruby ordered a large serve of the chicken for Leon as she knew Cade was right. He would have been so busy wound up in knots all day about his job interviews that he'd have skipped lunch, and a hungry Leon was an unhappy Leon. If he wasn't fed at least four times a day he was miserable – and if Le was miserable then everyone around him was miserable.

Carefully balancing the tray in one hand and Cade in the other, Ruby navigated her way toward an empty table and first sat down the food, then her little charge. He waited patiently, eyeing his little plate full of noodles and mini spring rolls as Ruby carefully opened the dipping sauce and set it down in front of him. As soon as that was done he was contently crunching into the first spring roll. She'd just sat down herself and had only just picked up her chopsticks when her cell rang, the display reading 'Leon'. As soon as she answered;

"Where are you?" He sounded tired, but not annoyed. Her heart went out to him when she heard the exhaustion in his voice. It had been a few months since he'd worked and as he'd told her that morning, he'd never been good at job interviews.

"We're at the mall having lunch– just across from the park." She caught Cade motioning to her and rolled her eyes, "It's daddy." She told him, not even bothering to cover the mouthpiece.

Leon sighed and she could hear the rev of his engine over the line. "I'll be there in about five or ten minutes, Gemstone."

"Ok, precious," she mopped up a dollop of sweet and sour sauce from Cade's chin, "-drive careful."

* * *

Ruby shook her head at the empty container on the table, marvelling at the amount Leon could eat. He'd finished what she and Cade had gotten him, eaten what Cade couldn't eat and was presently lined up waiting to grab something else. A burger this time. 

Cade had been right in assuming Leon hadn't eaten. He looked a right mess when he'd walked up to them upon arrival. His hair was mussed from running his fingers through it, he looked tired and he had that distinctly 'hungry' look to him. He'd tried to pick at her plate until she shoved the takeaway container at him instead and his eyes had lit up. Both she and Cade had gotten kisses for their efforts.

Smiling, Ruby waved to Angie as she saw her approaching. "Hi, Angie." She chirped, motioning for the motherly woman to sit. She did so and looked around, noting to two extra chairs still sitting out in the aisle. Ruby pointed toward the Burger King across the court and Angie rolled her eyes.

"I don't know how you feed him when he's at your place," she scoffed, "-he eats like a horse."

"Doesn't he." Ruby grinned over her shoulder, watching Leon make his way back as Cade chattered to his father animatedly about their day so far. This afternoon she was taking him to the movies while Le went on for yet another interview. She could tell just by his languid pace that he wasn't looking forward to it. He had five job interviews over the course of the entire day and had two left to go. One at a local towing company and automotive garage, and one for sign writing – designing decals and such for stores, cars etc.

She wasn't sure which one she hoped he got, but she knew those two were the ones he was hoping to get a look into.

He gave Angie a soft smile, helping Cade back up onto his seat. "Hi, Angie." He even sounded exhausted.

"Hey sweetie, how goes it?"

Leon's big hand was slowly stroking over Cade's hair as he crouched in front of him, his head resting against the little boys chest. He sighed, cuddling his son. You could always tell when Leon was a bit down. He would just pick Cade up for no good reason and cuddle him, not saying a word, even after putting him back down.

"Not too good so far – fingers crossed though." He pecked Cade on the forehead briefly before standing and edging around the table, his hand tangling in the fiery strands of Ruby's hair, tilting her head back. "I need to get moving." He muttered, slanting his mouth across hers.

Ruby's eyes fluttered shut. His mouth tasted sweet against hers, his tongue swiping across the roof of her mouth briefly before he drew back, pressing yet another kiss to her lips.

Ruby couldn't help the smile that crept across her lips, Leon's responding in kind and doing the same as he began to draw back.

His thumb swiped across her cheek before he straightened and retrieved the paper bag containing his burger from the table.

"I'll see you guys later." He gave Angie a slight nod before ducking between two tables and heading for the exit, Ruby's eyes on his back the whole way. It wasn't until she turned back to face Cade and Angie that she saw the knowing grin on the older woman's face.

Feeling her cheeks heat, Ruby ducked her head slightly. "What?"

"I was wondering how long that would take."


	33. A Womans Intuition

**A/N: Thanks to betty-boo, leslienicolespeaks, Dani and Torquebabe for reviewing the last chapter - i know it wasnt fabulous, but hopefully this one makes up for it.**

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**Ruby panted softly as she lay against Leon's chest, her hands tucked between her and Leon. She nestled in closer to his warmth, shifting to bring her legs together and lay fully on top of him instead of straddling him. His big, rough hands were idly stroking her back, the calluses dragging against her damp skin. She could feel the warm puff of his breath against her hair as it slowed from its fevered panting moments earlier and could feel his heart thundering beneath her cheek. 

When she spoke, her voice was quiet and breathy, almost a whisper.

"Do you want me to get off you?"

At her question Leon's arms tightened around her slightly and his hips flexed, his thick length still buried inside her. She gasped at the action, not expecting it and jerked against him, a startled whimper slipping past her lips. He chuckled dryly, low in his chest and a hand came up to brush her hair away from her neck.

His lips dragged across the skin, open mouthed and wet kisses left in their wake. He could feel her starting to wriggle against him and he slid a hand down to cup her ass, fingers digging in as he slowly forced her back down onto his hardening length.

Bringing his mouth up close to her ear, he flicked his tongue out to trace a line across the flesh just below her lobe. "Not yet."

* * *

Ruby could feel eyes on her as she measured out the oils she'd be using for her eleven o clock appointment. Stilling, she glanced back over her shoulder to see one of the elder women that worked for the spa watching her with a small, enigmatic smile on her face. Feeling the heat, Ruby's cheeks flushed pink under the weight of the woman's gaze. 

"What?" She looked herself over critically, thinking something was out of place. "What are you looking at?"

The older woman, Cecile, came over to sit by her as she worked. She was a larger woman, black as night and just as fabulous to behold. She had a presence about her that lit up any room she walked into. She was in fact the one who had encouraged Ruby to apply for the job at the beauty spa, something Ruby would be forever grateful for. She was a motherly woman who had taken her under her wing on day one – the only one there Ruby really liked.

"You in love, girl." She stated with a smirk, "I saw you this morning with that hot boy of yours. The one in that flashy car with the **_fine_ **rear view."

Ruby felt her cheeks heat and tried to pretend she hadn't. "He's not my 'hot boy' Cecile – he's just a friend." She argued weakly.

The big black woman quirked a brow and scoffed. "If that boy aint yours then my mama was white, sweet thing. I saw the way he put his hands on you."

Thinking back to earlier that morning when Leon had dropped her off, a silly grin spread across her face. He'd gotten out of the car before she'd had the chance to even open her door and had opened it for her, helping her out of the car. He'd then near backed her into the side of the car and had laid one of the most dizzying kisses on her she'd ever experienced.

Over the past few weeks he'd been surprising her left, right and centre. He'd been warm, affectionate and something that completely shocked her – open. He'd not been as closed off around her as he had been in the previous months. He no longer shied away from her touch **at all**, in fact he often sought it out himself and she often found herself waking in the middle of the night with his leg slung over hers and his face buried in her neck, mouthing the skin there in sleep. He and Cade were practically living with her now. The boy merely stayed with Angie during the day whilst they were both at work.

He'd gotten the graphics design job he'd wanted and she'd not seen him so happy… well.. ever. His art truly made him happy, which in return made her and Cade happy.

Cecile cleared her throat and gave Ruby a superior look that said 'I told you so' and folded her arms across her chest.

"Judgin' from that look, I'd say he's more than just your boy," a wicked grin curled her lips, "-he's your **_man_**." Her tone implied so many things that Ruby was unable to keep herself from erupting into giggles.

"I can't believe you just said that!"

The older woman laughed lightly, patting her on the arm. "Well honey, if you're so adamant about him not bein yours," she wiggled her brows, "- you just send him on over to Cecile, baby. She'll give him some of that sweet brown sugar he needs."

Ruby grinned and nodded her head. "I'll be sure to let him know it's an option, but don't hold your breath."

Taking Ruby's face in her hands, Cecile smiled down at her. "Baby, with a woman like you as competition, I'm bound to come in second place when it comes to this one." She pressed a firm kiss to her forehead and took a step back, only just removing her hands seconds before they shot back toward the petite red head as she wavered on the spot. She'd barely caught her before Ruby was collapsed against her, unconscious. Easing her onto the nearby bed, Cecile unbuttoned the collar of her shirt so she could get some air and then rushed to the door.

"Somebody help me – Tinkerbell's just fainted!"

Ruby sipped at the water that had been offered to her, her fingers rubbing her aching head. The last thing she'd remembered was Cecile giving her a little kiss and then stepping backward, then the world had skewed and everything had gone dark. When she'd woken up she was laying on her massage table with Cecile by her side holding her hand and talking over her to someone – her boss. As soon as they'd noticed she was awake both had immediately started firing questions at her, some she could answer, some she couldn't.

She could feel a hand stroking over her hair and closed her eyes, leaning into the feeling. Only two people she'd ever known did that to her – Cecile and Leon. It had always calmed her, someone playing with her hair. It was just a shame she'd never really had anyone to do so until now.

"You gave us quite a scare, baby." Cecile's big brown eyes were even darker now with worry as she sat beside her on the bed. "Do you have any idea what brought that on?"

Ruby shook her head slowly, still not yet quite stable. She still felt a bit off. "I have no idea – I was fine one minute, then the next.." she trailed off. Cecile already knew the story. She pressed a hand over her belly as it rolled slightly, a nauseated feeling swelling up into her throat and she groaned slightly. She felt like crap. As far as she could remember though she hadn't eaten anything funny over the past twenty four hours.

Cecile's hand rubbed over her back in soothing circles until the wave of nausea subsided and when Ruby turned to thank her, she caught the faint glimmer of curiosity in the darker woman's eyes.

"What is it?"

Lips pursed, Cecile looked at her critically. "Baby, is there any chance that you might be pregnant?" At Ruby's stricken look she rushed to calm her. "Shh – calm down – I just asked because you've been a little off lately is all. I remember how it was, baby." It may have been a good twenty years since the birth of her last child, but Cecile still remembered that ill feeling she'd gotten during early pregnancy.

Ruby looked thoughtful for a moment. "I **_can't_** be – I didn't feel sick like this last ti-" she stopped herself, her hand flying to cover her mouth when she realised what she'd just admitted. The look on Cecile's face was one of dawning understanding and even as the first tears started to pool in Ruby's eyes she found herself cuddled into the big woman's side. As soon as her head hit her shoulder the tears came with a vengeance, spilling from jewel green eyes and soaking the fabric of Cecile's blouse.

"No," Ruby mumbled, "-not again, I can't lose my baby again." She sobbed into the older woman's shoulder, taking comfort in the affection she gave. This was the last thing she wanted now, not so soon after last time. There was a brief flicker of excitement and then it was crushed when Leon's face popped into her head. He wasn't going to like it at all if she was indeed pregnant – again. Not that he knew about the first time and if she got her way, he never would. He didn't need the added stress of that knowledge in his life. Things were already a jumbled mess as it was for him.

Cecile's hands smoothed over the fiery sheet of Ruby's hair as she rocked her in her arms, her cheek pressed to the top of her head. Gently easing her backward, she grabbed a tissue from nearby and carefully wiped Ruby's face clean. Her tears had stained her cheeks as well as her mascara and eyeliner. She had a classic case of panda eyes and her nose was red from crying.

"How about I take your appointment for you and you go to the doctors, baby? Then when you're done there you come back here and let me know how it went, ok?"

Ruby sniffled, nodding slowly as she tried to compose herself. "O-ok." She mutely accepted her bag from Cecile and gave her a meek smile. Another pregnancy was the last thing she wanted at the moment, but if she was indeed to have another child, there was no way she was getting rid of it. Now way in hell.

She laughed humourlessly, looking up at Cecile. "You know, things were just starting to go so well between us." She wiped her eyes again. "I always find a way to ruin things."


	34. This Cannot Be Happening

**A/N: Big thankyou to the following for reviewing - bettyboo, Ms Fi, leslienicolespeaks and Dani. That being said - on with the update..**

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"This can't be happening." Ruby rubbed her face tiredly as she waited for her cab to take her back to work. "This cannot be happening." She repeated to herself slowly.

"_Congratulations, Miss Garrison – you're going to have a baby."_

She wanted to scream, maybe cry – hell possibly even do both at the same time, but nothing came. No matter how hard she tried the tears wouldn't fall, the scream wouldn't move any further than her throat. All she felt was a sick, nauseated feeling in the pit of her stomach. Well, that and a great deal of fear. She wasn't sure that she could keep it to herself if the same thing happened this time as it did last time. She had a creeping suspicion that if she lost **this** baby, she would just blurt everything out to Leon and possibly lose him from her life forever. That thought scared her as well.

He and Cade had come to mean so much to her over the past six months and despite his faults – the many of which he had – she had found herself falling for Leon Michael Orello and there wasn't a damn thing she could do to stop herself. Desperately as she tried, there was nothing she could do to sway it. It had been earlier that month, almost three weeks ago when she'd realised just how strong her feelings for the green eyed artist were. He'd been in the kitchen with Cade making cookies and both had been covered in flour and rainbow sprinkles, his tongue poking out the side of his mouth as he bent over a cookie and smeared icing across the top. His hair had been falling in his eyes and he was topless as Cade had come in to wake him for the specific purpose of baking him some cookies. Despite the fact that it was almost three in the morning, Leon had gotten up with little argument and had indeed made his son some of the sugary treats.

The smile on his face when he'd seen her leaning in the doorway watching them had been blinding and wordlessly his arms had outstretched, cuddling her as soon as she was close enough. He'd fed her one of the still warm biscuits and then, after Cade had finished his own, they'd all gone back to bed for a few more hours.

It was then – cuddling up to him in the early hours of the morning with the smell of freshly baked cookies in the air and his arms around her that she realised she was in love with this man. He'd dug himself a little hole inside her heart and settled happily. She knew she'd never have his own heart – Letty would always hold that – but she was quite willing to take whatever he felt he could give her.

He really wasn't going to be happy about the baby.

She was terrified of telling him. Completely and utterly petrified. There was no way he was going to be excited nor happy about it at all and she feared that it would drive him away completely. She couldn't tell him. She couldn't. He couldn't know about this baby but there was no way she was getting rid of it. She'd been wanting a family her entire life and now that she was having a child of her own… She wasn't going to jeopardise that for anyone. The only thing she could do was stay quiet for now and hope to god she didn't get very big. She'd work out the rest later.

* * *

It was a little over a week since she'd found out she was pregnant again and she wasn't sure she'd ever felt so disgusting. Not only was she lying to Leon by not telling him about the baby, but she had a constant bad taste in her mouth and she felt nauseated for a good two thirds of the day. The only time she felt like her normal bouncy self was between ten p.m. and three a.m. oddly enough. 

Leon hadn't noticed, or if he had he hadn't said anything, but she was pretty sure he was none the wiser as she was doing everything she could to keep him in the dark about it. Every time his hands slid across her stomach or her breasts she almost tensed, almost. She fought her instincts like mad and forced herself to stay relaxed and when they had sex… How was she supposed to tell him that she'd gotten pregnant when she was on the pill?

After she'd had her miscarriage the doctor had put her on it as a precaution and she'd taken them religiously… except for the one day. That was all it took. That one day back in early December when he'd taken her ice skating, their first time together since…

Ruby blinked rapidly, thankful for the darkness of the bedroom as her tears slid to the pillow unnoticed. Leon was sleeping beside her on his stomach, his thick arm slung over her back, fingers curled over her hip holding her firmly to his side. There was no chance of her moving without him knowing and normally she wouldn't mind, but that thick feeling in the back of her throat telling her she needed a good howl was making her wish he wasn't there. No, scratch that – it was making her wish she had the guts to come out and tell him she was having his, no – **their** baby, and if she did, that he would be happy, or at least supportive. The reality was something else though. She knew, just knew that if she told him he was more likely to react negatively. Thus she had no motivation whatsoever to let him in on her little secret. Her secret that he would find out about in seven months time regardless of whether she wanted him to know or not.

She snuggled down into the pillow and sighed. It wouldn't do much good to dwell on what was already done and what she couldn't prevent. The doctor had tentatively mentioned the option of abortion when she'd seen Ruby's crestfallen reaction to the news of her pregnancy and even Ruby herself had been stunned at the fierce feelings of anger she felt at the mere suggestion. There was no way in hell she was aborting this baby. If and when Leon found out, regardless of his reaction, getting rid of the baby wasn't an option. There was no chance **at all**. This was **her** baby and anyone who tried to tell her otherwise was sorely mistaken.

So wrapped up in her thoughts she was that she didn't noticed the little visitor by the bedside until he touched her, his tiny hand palming at her fringe, mimicking what she often did to him or his father.

"Miss Ruby crying?" he asked in a soft whisper. A small nearly broken smile crept across her face and despite the fact that she could wake Leon, she rolled onto her side and lifted the blankets, nodding for him to climb into bed. Little legs scrambled against the bed side as he climbed into the circle of her arms and snuggled against her chest.

Big brown eyes looked up at her in the dark and Cade's small hand wiped carefully across the swell of her cheek, smearing the dampness away.

"Why crying?" he asked, his own eyes filling with tears at the thought of his beloved Miss Ruby being in pain or something similar.

She soothed him, stroking his hair and dotting kisses across his cheeks.

"It's just a little headache, baby." She lied quietly, praying he wouldn't realise. Cade had some innate way of being able to tell if he was being lied to. He somehow always realised.

He studied her face for a short while, then snuggled closer and nuzzled against the hollow of her throat, his little arms wrapping around her neck as he got comfy. She smiled to herself as she felt him kiss her before snuggling again.

"Better?" he asked innocently, his voice muffled. Tears sprang into her eyes again but she nodded slightly.

"Yeah, sweetheart – all better."

Leon's arm had slid away from her in the process of her moving about and she felt Cade moving again to look over her shoulder. She thought he was just getting comfortable until she heard him speak.

"Miss Ruby have a headache." He said solemnly in her ear. She was wondering why he was telling her that when she already 'knew', then she felt the hand against her head. He wasn't telling her, he was telling Leon. Warmth filled her as she felt his big body press against her back and his fingers running through her hair, gently stroking at her scalp with each pass. His lips pressed to her temple as he leant up over her slightly and she couldn't help the little smile that found her lips.

Settling behind her, Leon threw his leg over hers and pressed even closer, his hand still in her hair.

"You alright, Gemstone?" he asked, his voice husky from sleep. His breath puffed across her cheek and his callused fingertips massaged her temple, lulling her closer to sleep.

She moaned slightly, content and nestled down into the pillows. If she'd known he'd do this when she had a headache then she would have them all the time. Now she knew why he'd fallen asleep the few times she'd given him a massage. She herself had never had one, but if this was even a tiny fraction of how nice it felt then she didn't blame him for liking it. Not that she could do it for him at the moment – she'd had to change positions at the Spa as some of the oils used in massages could hurt the baby. Not that she'd told them that was the reason – they just thought she wanted to expand on her knowledge of manicures.

"Ruby?"

She blinked, startled when she realised she'd dozed off under his gentle ministrations and looked back over her shoulder at him. He looked rumpled from sleep and his hair, which she'd reluctantly trimmed for him, hung across one eye. With Cade against her chest her right arm was occupied, but with her left she reached back and stroked his smooth jaw. She'd been stunned when she'd returned home earlier that day and had found him in the bathroom shaving, Cade watching rapt from his spot on the bench. He'd never seen his father clean shaven and it was a novelty for him. It made him look younger she decided. His reasoning had been that he just felt like a change, but she had the feeling there was more to it, but didn't press the matter.

"I'm alright, Le. Go back to sleep, precious."

He looked at her with the same studious look Cade had given her before he leant over and kissed her softly, stroking her cheek with his thumb lightly as he did so.

"If you're sure." He murmured once he'd pulled away, brushing his nose over hers lightly. Ruby smiled against his cheek and for a moment she forgot about her problems, forgot about the secrets she was keeping from him and just let herself be.

"I'm sure, Leon. Go back to sleep. I'm fine."

He studied her for a moment longer before nodding slightly and laying back down, his arm curled up around her beneath her arm and over Cade as well, palm laying flat on Cade's little shoulder. His lips pressed to the back of her neck and she felt him exhale, then a few moments later his breathing evened out and he was asleep again.


	35. The Inevidible

**A/N: Biiiiig thankyou to betty-boo, leslienicolespeaks, Dani, KangarooGirl and Jet for reviewing.**

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Four and a half months – she was four and a half months pregnant now and still Leon had no idea. He was completely and utterly oblivious.

Ruby ran her hand over her still relatively flat tummy and blinked back the tears. True to her wishes, she'd not gotten big at all so far, sometimes she even wondered if she was actually pregnant herself. For a little while she'd been convinced the doctor had gotten it wrong, made a mistake… Then a week or so earlier she had felt it. A strange fluttering feeling low in her belly that had scared her into going to the doctors during her lunch hour. Her baby had moved. It **moved**. It **was** real and she definitely was pregnant. There was no denying it at all now.

With every passing day it was becoming more and more difficult hiding it from Leon. She wore flowing clothes normally as it was, so when her skirts had gotten a tad snug around the waist he'd not noticed her wearing them a little lower, the longer, looser shirts went unquestioned.

It was the physical aspects of their relationship that took some creative manoeuvring. At night he liked to curl up behind her and sling his arm around her waist – that had to be stopped, so now she slept on her belly so he couldn't do so. She'd also gotten good at knowing when he was sneaking up behind her to cuddle her and hadn't been caught unawares in some time. Their sex life had been the difficult part. Leon liked to touch her and there was no way she could suddenly just say 'no more' without him becoming suspicious. **That** had taken some quick thinking. He was so involved in Letty's pregnancy, that much she knew, that he would know or at least suspect if he touched her stomach. She wasn't sure how she had managed it, but so far she had succeeded in keeping him away from her stomach. As conceited as it sounded, she knew that if she touched him enough, lavished enough affection on him, that he wouldn't suspect a thing.

So far, so good.

Sitting back in the seat of the cab, Ruby laid her head against the window and stared out at the rapidly passing scenery. Unconsciously her hands found their way to her belly and were slowly rubbing small circles over the harder spot where the baby rested.

She'd just come from a check up and sonagram with her doctor to make sure things were progressing alright and for the third time she'd made an excuse for the father's lack of presence. She wasn't about to come out and say 'oh he isn't here because I'm too gutless to tell him' now, was she. Today the obstetrician had offered to try and find out the sex of the baby and Ruby had jumped at the chance. Ever since she'd felt it move she was almost bursting with love for her unborn child – sometimes she swore it was almost painful. One could only imagine her excitement when her beautiful little baby had been more than cooperative and they were able to find out the gender. Now she knew just what she was having and she couldn't be more excited about it. Still, the stress of the day and then with all the excitement of the last few hours had worn her out and she found her eyelids growing heavy.

She'd told Leon she was working back an extra hour at work that day .. hopefully he wasn't home yet and she'd get there before him. The last thing she needed was him getting suspicious of her whereabouts.

* * *

Ruby winced as she climbed from the cab, both because of her aching feet and back and the fact that the familiar dark green Skyline sat in the driveway. Le was already home, which meant almost as soon as she got in the door she'd be hit with a barrage of questions and an overly enthusiastic little boy throwing himself at her. She almost groaned at the thought. It wasn't that she didn't like Cade, in fact she loved him more than she could understand, but it was so difficult telling him not to climb all over her without hurting his feelings. 

The instant she opened the door she knew something was off. The house was almost silent, save for some quiet sounds coming from the kitchen and she felt her curiosity spike. It was too quiet for Cade to be there, so he must still been over at Angie's place. He spent the days there while Leon and herself were at work.

A wave of apprehension swept over her as she dropped her bag on the couch as she passed it and her feet slowly carried her into the kitchen. She was almost relieved when she saw Leon's wide form bent over the sink, paint splatters all over his arms and pants. He glanced up and toward her when she cleared her throat and offered her a tight smile, then went back to whatever he was doing.

"Where's the boy?" she asked softly, tired still and ready to go and curl up in bed. There was a heavy thunk as Leon dropped something into the sink and he wiped his hands on his pants before reaching across to flick on the coffee maker.

"He's over at Angie's," he muttered, confirming her suspicions, "-she offered to have him for the night." His tone was short and words clipped, making her wonder if he'd had a rough afternoon at work. He was in a wonderful mood before leaving that morning and had still been in it when she'd called him around lunch to tell him she was 'working back'. Something must have happened between then and now to upset him.

He cleared his throat, turning around now to lean back against the counter. "How was work?" His arms folded across his chest, intense green eyes fixated on her in the doorway. "Did they say you were getting overtime for this afternoon – God knows you're going to need it with a baby on the way."

Ruby felt her heart stop for a moment and she suddenly felt ill. He knew. "What are you.."

He glared at her, eyes flicking down toward her flat tummy. "Your doctor called just after I got home. She said to tell you that you left your cell phone at her office and then proceeded to congratulate me on the baby as I'd 'always been otherwise detained and unable to attend the appointments'." His tone turned accusing now, and when he spoke he was almost seething through his teeth. "Where you ever going to tell me, or just wait for the day it popped out and then say 'oh by the way, Leon – I'm pregnant!'?"

She felt the tears starting to well in her eyes already. He was reacting just as she'd feared and wasn't happy about it in the least. Not at all. Her hands moved to her stomach as she felt it churn and a sick feeling swept over her as his eyes blazed at the movement.

"Leon, please – let me-" she started to try to explain herself and he cut her off, standing up straight now, his face incredulous.

"You want to explain? You expect me to stand here and listen to you **_explain_** how you got yourself pregnant! How the fuck could you be so damn stupid, Ruby? **HOW**!"

"I didn't get this way on my own Leon!"

He spun on his heel and glared at her. "Don't you fucking try to pin this on me! What the hell were you thinking not telling me you weren't on anything! How could you be so stupid!"

Ruby's face contorted with hurt, her head shaking slightly. She couldn't believe some of the things he was saying.

"For your information you selfish jerk – I was on something!" She glared up at him, her hands resting protectively over her stomach that he was currently glaring at. "And anyway, Leon – you never seemed to be too concerned about protection! You'd just fuck me when and where it suited you and never even thought of how **I** felt when you'd run on out afterwards feeling sorry for yourself!"

She backed toward the table when he took a step forward. She'd never seen him so angry before – never. Not even when he'd gone off at Marissa that time. He was more than intimidating in his rage and she was grateful that Cade at least wasn't there to see it.

Snarling at her, he advanced toward her with slow deliberate steps. "You know what, Ruby? If you had any kind of backbone you wouldn't have just spread your legs for me in the first place – you'd have said no and none of this bullshit would have happened! THIS IS **ALL**. **YOUR**. **FAULT**!"

Ruby's eyes widened at his roar and she screamed, dropping to her hands and knees as he picked up a coffee mug from the counter and hurled it toward her, sending it crashing into the wall. She stifled a sob when she heard the sound and scrambled to her feet, running down the hall away from him and locking herself in the bathroom. She could hear his feet thundering down the hall after her and she squeaked, terrified as he pounded on the bathroom door.

"RUBY! OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!" He shouted from the other side, the door rattling from the force of his fists pounding against it.

Ruby wrapped her arms around herself and tried her hardest not to cry. She couldn't see any of the man she had fallen in love with in the man that was screaming out in the hall. It wasn't her Leon out there any more. Looking back now, she wasn't sure he ever had been **her** Leon. She thought that maybe he'd come to care about her at least a little bit, but now she knew that was all a great big joke. Leon didn't care about her any more than he cared for Marissa. She **had** just been an easy lay for him. That was all she was. As the knowledge hit her, she broke down and sobbed, so absorbed in her grief she was that she didn't hear the deafening crack and splinter as the door flew open.

She flinched, startled as his fingers curled around her upper arms and shook her slightly.

"Stop your fucking crying, Ruby! Jesus Christ – how the hell are you going to take care of a kid when you're only a child yourself?" He leant in close to her face, ignoring the tears and the red blotchy cheeks. "You have no idea what it takes to be a parent, do you? You have to give up your **entire**. **Fucking**. **Life**. Your entire life, Ruby!" he let go of her arms with a slight shove, enough to set her off balance and send her stumbling backward. She would have been fine if the bath tub hadn't been there, but it was and it caught her in the back of the knee and she fell backward and into the tub.

The wind was momentarily stolen from her lungs and she gasped for air, fear tightening its fingers around her heart as she thought of her baby. Not their baby any more – hers.

"You planned this all along, didn't you! Saw some poor bastard who was an easy target and went for the kill! You used me and **my** child just to get one of your own!" He pointed a finger at her accusingly and then took a step back shaking his head, disgusted. "I should never have come back here. Congratulations, Ruby," he scoffed, "-have fun raising that thing alone."

Anger swelled in her gut, filling every fibre of her being at his words. "It's a baby, Leon! **Our** baby!"

He had already started out of the room when she spoke, but at her words he spun on his heel to face her.

"That is not my child! Cade is my child – my **only** child! He was born of the woman I love and you, Ruby – are **not** her!"

Her anger gave way to her sorrow again as he stormed from the room and she heard the front door slam closed, the Skyline roaring to life almost as angrily as its owner and the tyres spinning against the gravel drive. Gradually the roar of the engine grew softer and further away and only then did she allow herself to fully break down and sob, curling herself into a ball there in the bath tub, hugging her belly.


	36. Mistakes and Regret

**A/N: KangarooGirl, betty-boo, takerlover21, Torquebabe, leslienicolespeaks, i heart tinkerbell, dogreign, diggingdeeper,Jet and LaLa - big thankyou to everyone for their reviews. I love hearing what people think of the story, good or bad - each to their owni reckon. Anywho - very grateful to all of the above and to those who read but didn't review too. On with the update.

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He couldn't hear anything. Not the roar of the engine, not the sound of the radio booming, not even the sounds of the traffic around him. All he could hear was a dull static roar in his ears that just kept getting louder and louder.

He couldn't get the image of Ruby's terrified face out of his mind, the tears on her face as she looked up at him and tried to explain herself. She was pregnant. **Pregnant**! Almost five months along to boot! He could still feel that nauseated burn in his throat and stomach that he'd felt when he'd heard what the doctor said.. Could still feel his head swimming as he struggled to process the news he'd just been given. For the past five months, he'd been lied to. Ruby had lied to him.

Twisting the wheel sharply, Leon sneered as the car skidded for a moment around the corner, the back end swinging out wildly before he continued speeding down the road.

The last five months of his life had been a complete and utter lie.

Lifting his wrist up to his face he rubbed it across his eyes, growling angrily as the tears spilled down his cheeks. Frustration was gripping him, anger as well.. But the strongest feeling coursing through his veins at that very moment was fear. He was so afraid of the idea of becoming a father again. He wasn't ready for a proper relationship let alone another child!

His throat felt thicker now, the tears falling heavier, slowly graduating to sobs as he pulled the car over onto the side of the dark road. Shutting off the ignition he dropped his head against the steering wheel and broke down.

"I can't do this," he mumbled to himself, his voice hoarse with tears, "-I can't." His arms came up to drape over the wheel, surrounding his head and shutting the rest of the world out for a moment. He started to cry even harder now, so hard it became painful and his chest ached with each ragged gasp for air. His throat soon became raw as he screamed wordlessly into the dark interior of his car, head thrown back against the head rest.

Ruby was his best friend – his one, his only friend. She was his confidant and the person who took care of him and Cade – she loved them. She took care of them as best as she was able. So why could he feel nothing but anger and sorrow at the news of her pregnancy? He felt none of the excited sparks inside he'd felt at the news of Letty's pregnancy, none of the happiness or joy he'd experienced at the very moment he'd found out… Only horror and a heavy unsettling feeling in his gut that he couldn't put his finger on. His chest hurt, as did his head the more he thought about it and he found himself wanting to just close his eyes and never have to open them again.

Memories he'd thought he'd long forgotten were resurfacing, images of a newly pregnant Letty giggling beneath him as he hovered over her belly, singing a soft, off key lullaby to the baby before bed. Her laughter as he draped a blanket over her belly and left her legs exposed, afraid the baby might get cold. He had such fond memories of his life during her pregnancy, how things were then..

.. He couldn't go through that again just to lose it all.. Especially now that Cade had grown so attached to Ruby. He adored her.

Leon cursed himself for letting them get so close to her, for letting her into their lives. They were fine on their own without her – neither he nor Cade needed Ruby to be there for them.

A horrible sinking feeling spread over his body at that thought, but he shook it off angrily. She had lied to him for five months about something so important that it was life altering. A child. He sneered into the darkness. A fucking child!

Sniffling loudly, Leon scrubbed furiously at his face with a spare shirt he'd grabbed from the back seat, trying to banish all traces of his tears. Flicking on the interior light he cursed aloud, wiping his hands over his pale cheeks.

"You look like shit, Orello." He muttered at his reflection in the rear view mirror, wiping his red eyes. Leaning back slowly, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then slowly let it out. He needed Jesse. Jesse would tell him what to do… Somehow.

It was with a look of grim sorrow that he started the car again and slowly pulled back onto the road, heading toward the cemetery.

* * *

".. I didn't mean to yell at her like that, Jess – I was just so scared." He sniffled, burying his head in his arms as he leant over the smooth surface of the grave. "I lost Letty because of a baby, don't get me wrong – I love Cade, but I lost her from this sort of thing. I can't lose another woman I care about, Jesse. I can't." 

His callused fingertips ran over the gold lettering on the headstone reverently, tracing out the first three letters of Jesse's surname. Both he and Letty were Cade's namesakes.. Ashcroft and Ashlyn were both shortened to make up Cade's middle name. Cade Ash Orello. It was the only way he could think of honouring his dead brother and lover. Both of them had made him who he was, helped him become the man he had been before he'd fallen apart. When Jesse had died, Letty had been his saving grace, his light in the darkness. She was the thing that kept him going. Now that she too was gone, his only light had been Cade… Until more recently when Ruby had wormed her way into his heart as well.

She meant so much to him and he cared more about her than he ever dreamed he could, but even that hadn't stopped his fear from turning him into a monster. He couldn't believe some of the things he'd said to her, the way he'd acted earlier back at the house when he'd confronted her about keeping it from him. He hadn't even given her the chance to explain herself. He'd merely torn her down where she stood and didn't listen to a word she'd had to say.

He'd been so horrible to her, said some completely unnecessary and cruel things in the heat of the moment that he had no right saying at all. The anger was returning now, stronger than before, but now it was directed at himself instead. He'd had no right speaking to her in that manner, nor scaring her the way he did.

Turning his head to rest it on his folded arms, a glint caught his attention out of the corner of his eye and he sat up. There in the longer grass by the side of the grave was one of Ruby's earrings, sparkling mutely in the moonlight. She'd been complaining the day before that she couldn't find it and had damn near turned the house upside down looking for it. Reaching out for it, he curled his fingers around the sparkling purple beads and carefully picked it up, tossing it up and down in his palm a couple of times. Green eyes, still wet with tears, stared at the pretty earring for a moment, his minds eye visualising it hanging from Ruby's ear and dangling against her neck as she turned her head to say something to Cade, her bright beautiful smile lighting up her entire face. She loved him, she really did.

Closing his fingers around the piece of jewellery, Leon crawled forward and pressed a kiss against the cool marble headstone before standing quickly, brushing off his knees as he started back toward the Skyline. He had to get back to Ruby and talk to her. He had to tell her he was sorry.

* * *

"Ruby?" He peered into the bathroom, checking to see if she was still in there. He couldn't believe he'd left her in that state **after** she'd fallen right in front of him. He had to make sure she was alright. 

Stepping back into the hall he looked around, perplexed. The house was entirely too quiet for her to be there. When she was home there was always music playing in at least one room in the house and as far as he could hear.. nothing but silence filled the house. Panic started to set in as he moved toward the bedrooms, searching for any sign of her and coming up empty.

"RUBY?" he called out for her, searching the entire house and outside before going back inside empty handed. She wasn't there.

Going back into their bedroom he looked around slowly, his heart in his throat as he noticed a distinct lack of her belongings around the room. The quilt off the bed was gone, as were a lot of her clothes and some suitcases she'd kept beneath the bed. Digging into his pocket he pulled out his cell phone and flipped it open, immediately dialling her number before sitting on the edge of the bed waiting for the ringing to start on the other end. After a moment a prerecorded message cut in and told him that the number he was trying to reach was unavailable and he slowly hung up.

Slowly he dropped to the side, falling heavily to the pillow, eyes closed. He could feel something beneath his cheek and sat up again, peering down at the pillow curiously. He was hoping it was a note of some kind but instead found it to be a photo… A sonagram picture to be exact.

There on the paper in his hand was a picture of his soon to be born child – his little baby that he'd denied not two hours earlier.

"Oh my god," he murmured, lifting the picture to look closer, "-holy shit."

Suddenly it all felt so real. That spark that hadn't been there before was now flickering in his gut and he could feel his heart racing. There in front of him in black and white, plain as day, was his unborn child. **His** baby. Not someone else's, not a complete strangers nor someone he knew… His and Ruby's baby. Their son or daughter.

The first tears started to leak from his eyes as he realised what had happened. Ruby was gone. She'd left him because of his reaction to the news of her pregnancy. She'd taken her things and left without him knowing because he'd denied their baby. He'd royally fucked up.

He whimpered as he fell back toward the pillow, his heart slowly breaking as he realised he'd messed up much, much worse than before. He'd finally driven her away. All because he'd been afraid to lose her. It had been fear that made him react the way he had and now he'd lost her anyway.

Fumbling with his cell once again, he searched for Angie's name and dialled slowly, trying to control his breathing and tears as he listened to the phone ring.

"Hello?"

He squeezed his eyes shut and bit back a sob. "Mom?" he took a shuddering breath, "Mom, I fucked up. She's gone… Oh god, she's gone.."

"Leon? Sweetie where are you? Are you at home?"

He nodded to himself. "Ruby's."

Angie's calm voice was soothing, but did little to calm _him_. "Alright honey – you sit tight and I'll be right there. I'll be right there, baby."

The tears started to fall harder as he processed what he'd lost in the last two hours. It was all his fault. "Mom, please.."

She sounded a little less calm now. "I'm coming, honey. You just stay there, I'll be fifteen minutes at the most."

Hanging up slowly, Leon let his phone fall to the floor with a dull thump and kicked his shoes off, then pulled his knees up to his chest and curled into the fetal position and sobbed – the sonagram picture still clutched desperately in his hand.


	37. Vince's Ultimatum

**A/N: Alrighty - apologies for the lack of updates, but real life has been a bit hectic lately. Anyway, big thanks to betty-boop, KangarooGirl, takerlover21, leslienicolespeaks, Torquebabe, Jet and Giusy for reviewing the last chapter. Not very long this one, but still - let me know what you think.

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Vince stuffed another shirt into his back pack, quickly spraying himself with deodorant as Tala watched from the doorway.

"I cannot believe this," he was muttering to himself, shaking his head as he rifled through the bedside drawers. Winter lay on the end of the bed watching with Rory propped against her side, both of them silent as Vince moved around the room.

"You'll call as soon as you arrive, right?" Tala hugged herself tightly. She'd not seen Vince so angry in some time, even since before he and Leon had sorted out their issues. He was near furious – the only thing keeping him from erupting and losing it was his newly found sense of self control. He'd developed it shortly after Rory had been born and was almost always so very patient with his family. As usual though, Leon was the exception.

Vince zipped his back pack quickly and held his tattooed arms out to Rory, scooping her up against his chest as he looked at his wife.

"You'll hear from me as soon as the plane lands, firefly. I promise." He buried his face in Rory's curly hair and hugged her tightly, kissing her little cheeks and forehead before setting her back down on the bed beside Winter, scratching the big dog behind the ears.

Tala watched as he hefted the bag onto his shoulder and stepped forward, already reaching for him as he moved across the room to her.

"He's really done it this time, hasn't he." She commented softly, stepping into the comforting circle of Vince's arms. When she'd had a bad day or didn't feel well, just having those arms around her would make it all better, make her feel like it would all be ok. Only this time she wasn't so sure. Leon had really done a good job of screwing up his life – and Ruby's – which didn't sit well with neither her nor Vince. He'd taken a shine to the eccentric young woman during their stay in Miami and was taking this personally. Leon had really fucked up and judging from the look in Vince's blue eyes and the firm set of his jaw, he was going to pay for it.

Vince nodded, big hands stroking over Tala's back and coming up to tangle in the curls at the nape of her neck, fingering the loose ringlets that had freed themselves from the elastic. He looked down at her, his heart swelling with love for the woman he'd been married to for three years now, going on four and the mother of his child. Life without her just wasn't an option.

"I'll call you just after we land in Miami," he bent to kiss her soundly, holding her to his chest, "- I love you, firefly."

Her hands stroked down his biceps as she stepped back from him, licking her lips to catch the fading taste of his kiss. "I love you too, baby. Be careful."

Taking a few steps back to kiss Rory once more, he nodded. "Always." Running his hand over her head one last time and a mumbled profusion of love to his daughter, he headed out the door to get a cab to the airport. To Miami.

* * *

Vince yawned as he stepped out of the terminal, the sun just rising as he hailed a cab and climbed inside, spitting out the address before leaning back to catch some sleep before he arrived at Angie's house. When she'd called the night before and told them what had happened he had been in a state of shock, then the anger had quickly taken over. He'd known right there and then on the phone what he had to do and that was why he was in Miami. 

The trip went faster than he'd expected and he'd not even had the chance to drop off to sleep before they pulled up in front of the big old house, only just showing signs of life in the early hours of the morning.

"Can you wait here?" He asked the driver, fully prepared to foot the fare if he needed to. Sensing it would probably be beneficial to his health, the driver nodded rapidly at his big passenger and shut the engine off, keeping the meter running. Vince nodded shortly to him as he stepped out of the car. He'd originally planned to stay a short while but on the plane he'd changed his mind. Last minute change of plans.

As luck would have it he was half way up the front path when the door opened and Leon stepped outside, wearing only a pair of sweats and holding his cigarettes and lighter. When he saw Vince striding up the path toward him his eyes widened and he barely even had the chance to move before he found himself pinned against the front door, feet dangling off the porch.

"You **stupid**, miserable little bastard! What the hell were you thinking going off at her like that, Leon? What - **the hell** – were you thinking? Now I'm sure this was unplanned by the both of you but the least you could have done was hear her out and support her! She's likely to be petrified, Leon!"

Leon gasped for air, Vince's big forearm holding him off the ground still. "She… didn't tell.."

"She didn't tell you because she knew you'd react the way you did! SHE WAS SCARED TO TELL YOU, YOU DUMB FUCK!"

Not even thinking now, his fist swung before he could stop it and nailed Leon just beneath the eye, in almost the exact spot he'd hit him last time. Once the first punch landed he found it almost impossible to stop and time after time, his big left hand found its mark on his little brother's face, ribs and stomach. He was mindless to Leon's short fingernails biting into the flesh of his arm, ignoring the sting as they scraped over his scars a few times.

Stepping back, he watched as Leon slumped to the porch, coughing weakly and roughed up. There was no blood this time.

Chest heaving with pent up aggression, Vince pointed a long finger at him and nudged him with his big boot.

"I seriously thought you were starting to grow up, Leon – then you go and do something as stupid and selfish as this! I'm fucking glad she's left you – you don't deserve her or another child! Fuck it, you don't even deserve the one you've got now!"

Looking up toward the doorway he saw both Angie and Bethany standing huddled together, watching the scene unfold. He gave Bethany a pointed look and stepped over Leon.

"Go and pack Cade's bags. He's coming home with me."

She looked at her mother for a moment, only moving when she saw the almost non-existent nod and she rushed off to do as she was told.

Seeing the tearful look on Angie's face, he felt the need to explain himself. "He's not capable of caring for him right now – he has to clean his act up first before I'll even think of letting him have him back. He's doing him more harm than good."

Angie nodded slowly. "I know," she said softly, "-this is going to break him, you know that. He's nothing without him."

Vince nodded slowly, watching Bethany come back with a duffle bag and a small child's back pack before dashing off once more to get Cade he guessed.

"There's nothing I can do to help Leon – he has to do that himself. But Cade – Cade I can help. He'll be safe with us back in LA while Leon figures himself out. He can call him and talk to him whenever he likes, but I want him to wake the hell up to himself first."

Vince was already moving to take a still sleepy Cade from Bethany as soon as she appeared with him, settling the small boy against his broad chest and bending to pick up the bags she'd packed for him. He nodded a thankyou to the teenager, offering her a soft smile before bending slightly to peck Angie on the cheek.

"Keep in touch?" he asked already starting out the door with them in tow.

"Of course we will – you take care of the little one and yourself."

Vince stopped briefly by Leon's side and looked down at him, the haunted man on the ground barely resembling his beloved little brother. He wasn't sure exactly, but the glazed look in his eyes made him think Leon was slightly concussed and not really processing what was happening.

"Say goodbye to Daddy for a while." He told his nephew softly, urging the sleepy child to say something.

There was some unintelligible mumbling against his shoulder then a distinct 'g'bye daddy' before he nodded off to sleep again. Glancing back toward the two blonde women standing in the doorway, Vince gave Leon one last look before heading down the steps and toward the waiting cab, depositing Cade inside before stuffing the bags in the trunk. He waved as he climbed into the car and gathered Cade back into his arms, rocking the little boy against his chest slightly in an unconscious move. He did it a lot with Rory too.

He'd done his part – now it was up to Leon to do his and straighten himself and this whole situation out.


	38. Baby Blues

**A/N: Jet, betty-boop, takerlover21, leslienicolespeaks, Dani, Torquebabe, Amarantha, dogreign, tallyz and Fi - thankyou all for reviewing the last chapter and to all those who read but didn't review as well. **

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It was summer now and the heat was almost stifling around her as she rolled awkwardly into an upright position, one hand propping her up off the bed, the other resting gently over her substantial bump. She exhaled slowly, rubbing soothing circles over her belly as she shuffled forward and to her feet, wincing as her weight pressed down on her sore ankles. She felt horrible, she couldn't get comfortable and most of all, she felt huge. Her boss assured her that wasn't the case but she was having difficulty adjusting to her belly's new size.

She was working in Las Vegas now, at one of the health spa's owned by her previous employer in one of the high class hotels. She worked four days a week, giving her the remaining three to herself – well, herself and the baby that is.

No sooner had she left Miami and settled in Vegas did she blow up. Within the course of a week or so she'd become huge. None of her clothes fit her, four out of five days her feet were swollen and she felt ill, nothing tasted good to her any more except strangely enough, mashed potato and lemonade. It was something she'd observed Leon making for himself on more than one occasion in the early hours of the morning – he'd prepare it all then go and sit on the grass in the back yard and eat as he looked up at the stars, just sitting quietly by himself.

Snagging a scrunchy off the vanity in the bathroom, Ruby tugged her hair up into a messy bun and rubbed at her face tiredly. Looking at her reflection in the darkened mirror, she felt the tears start to well in her eyes again. Her belly protruded far in front of her now and she was only just seven months along. Her face held a healthy glow, though she hated it when people told her so. A glow implied she was happy when in reality, she was far from it.

She missed Cade. She missed the way he would crawl onto the bed in the middle of the night and worm his way beneath the blankets and use her as a pillow. The way he'd press his little hands over her eyes and claim he was hiding so she couldn't see him – she missed his laughter as Leon blew raspberries on his tummy. She stifled a sob.

Despite all that he'd said and the way he reacted – she missed Leon. She was miserable without him. Cecile had called her on more than one occasion to tell her that he'd been in to try and find out where she was, if he could get in touch with her any way. Each time he'd been turned away and apparently each time he'd near crumbled at the word 'no'. Cecile told her he looked a mess, a woman matching Angie's description always with him to hold him together. He was a complete and utter wreck. According to Cecile he'd lost weight, looked like death warmed up and that cheeky glint that was always in his eye when he was with her had faded away, leaving his beautiful green eyes dull and lifeless.

_Next time Cecile calls – next time, I'll tell her she can give him my new number. He deserves to know about his baby._

That was another thing that had surprised her – whenever he'd gone into her old workplace to ask about her – and he did so on a frequent basis – he'd also asked about the baby. When she'd been told that she'd almost fallen down in shock. For someone who had been so against her pregnancy, he'd been inquiring about their health – both hers and the baby's. She'd almost gone running back to Miami as soon as she'd heard that, but had forced herself to stay strong and stay put. Despite his interest now – if it was genuine – he'd still hurt her and he'd still scared her that night. She wasn't forgiving him so easily.

Tugging the sheet off the bed as she shuffled past it, she opened the French doors out onto the terrace of her eighth story apartment and stood in the doorway letting the breeze slide over her heated skin. It was nearly three in the morning and although the night still held a little heat, the cool breeze chased the discomfort she felt away and it was with heavy limbs that she lowered herself into one of the deck chairs and threw the sheet over herself, dozing off again.

* * *

"You're an energetic little thing, aren't you." Ruby cooed to her belly, rubbing her hands over her bump lovingly. It was a warm day out, not too hot but not cool either, just a comfortable temperature for her to sit out on the balcony and get a little bit of sun. The breeze ruffled her hair across her face as she smoothed some more suntan lotion across her belly and arms, still chattering softly to her baby. 

She smiled down at her belly as she watched the skin ripple as the baby moved, kicking and such. She'd found that when she played certain music it seemed to unsettle the baby, whereas other music seemed to calm it, so she was listening to some mellow music, Sarah McLachlan just softly.

"Your big brother likes this song," she told her bump as 'building a mystery' started playing, "- if he was here he'd jump up and demand I dance with him, bump and all. Though I'm not sure he knows about you, sweetie." Her hands stroked over the largest part of her belly, rubbing circles over it. "See, I don't know if your Daddy told him yet. I don't know if Daddy told anyone." She added quietly, blinking back tears.

As the wind picked up again for a moment the music was temporarily drowned out by the wind chimes she had hanging in the doorway and almost instantly, Bub started kicking in protest. She grimaced at a particularly hard kick and exhaled deeply, giving her belly a light swat.

"None of that now – the music is still there.." she looked up at the wind chime, considering taking it down. "You know, your Daddy hated that thing too. Every time he'd walk to close to it he'd manage to bump his head on it. He took it down eventually and hid it from me, claimed it got stolen and bought me a sun catcher instead."

She smiled to herself as the baby calmed once more, able to hear the music again and carefully manoeuvred herself onto her knees, then walked herself upright with great difficulty. Huffing and puffing once she was on her feet, she rubbed at her lower back slowly and waddled toward the doorframe so she could take the chimes down. She liked them because they made a pretty sound, but much like daddy, Bub wasn't overly fond of them. She couldn't have her baby getting upset every time the wind blew so she had no other choice. Her fingertips skimmed over the ends once or twice before grabbing hold and she gave a sharp tug, breaking the string they were hanging from.

"There," she mumbled, slowly starting inside, "-happy now you little blob? No more pretties for mommy." She lifted a brow when the baby settled completely, almost as if it'd gone off to sleep and she grunted, annoyed. "Little snot. You're already like your father. Not happy until you get your own way."

Dropping the chimes onto the bed, she moved to change the cd, taking Sarah out and putting Tim McGraw in. She was feeling rather mellow at the moment and listening to his music always calmed her or kept her calm – not to mention Bub seemed to like it too.

She jumped, startled when her phone rang and knew it would only be one of two people. Her work, or Cecile.

Picking up the phone, she carefully lowered herself into a chair by the table before answering.

"Hello?"

There was a sigh of relief on the end on the phone. "Had me worried for a minute there, little miss!" It was Cecile. Ruby smiled, remembering her decision the night before. This time she'd tell her friend to let Leon have her cell number. Try as she might, she missed him horribly and couldn't wait to hear his voice on the other end of the phone.

Her first question, almost immediately, "Has Le been in today?" From what she understood, he would go in every second day, occasionally more frequent. She only hoped she'd not missed his visit.

There was an awkward silence for a moment, then she heard Cecile sigh softly.

"Baby girl, your boy's not been in here since early last week."

Ruby's stomach felt like it dropped through the floor. He didn't care any more. She'd pushed him so far away that he couldn't be bothered trying to get in touch with her any more.

Her voice was quiet and shaky when she spoke. "O– oh." She felt the first tears prick at her eyes and her fingers came up to wipe them away, shaking. "Last week you said?"

Cecile's voice was full of compassion. "No, honey – not since last Tuesday. He could just be sick or somethin though – he didn't look well last time he was in. Was chewin' on that toothpick like it was his life line or somethin."

Ruby knew she was trying to help, reassure her in some way, but as soon as she mentioned the possibility of Leon being ill the pit in her stomach grew. The mere thought of him being unwell and her not there to take care of him frightened her something horrible.

"Well," she struggled to sound neutral, rubbing her belly as Bub started shifting around, sensing Ruby's discomfort, "-if he comes in again, could you give him my number? So he can call me."

So many times she had tried to call him but each time she picked up the phone she'd found herself unable to dial the numbers, afraid of his reaction. At least she knew that if he contacted her first, that he was genuine.

"You sure you want that, honey?" Cecile's voice was softer now, questioning.

Ruby nodded to herself, her eyes closed as the tears fell down her face. She was tired of being so lonely all the time. Maybe talking to Leon **if** he called would help assuage it somewhat.

"Yes," she hated how she didn't sound confident when she spoke, "-he deserves to know what's happening with the baby." She knew that it was more likely that it was the baby he was interested in hearing about.

"Alright sweetheart – I'll tell the boy." There was a sigh, "Look baby girl, you sound tired so why don't you take you and the little one to bed for a little while."

"Alright – thankyou for calling, Cecile." Ruby gently set the phone down, looking down at her very swollen belly. The longer she looked the more miserable she felt.

Leon didn't want them any more.

That being said, she carefully climbed to her feet and slowly made her way into her room, crawling onto the bed and burying her face in the pillows. Once there and as comfortable as she got, she dissolved into tears and pulled the sheet up over her head.


	39. Revelations

**A/N: Alrighty then - time for thankyous! KangarooGirl, betty-boop, leslienicolespeaks, takerlover21, Jet and Dani - thanks for reviewing the last chapter and thankyou to whoever just read as well. Feedback means the world to me. **

**Also, i'm going to take this opportunity to pimp a new fic i have out - its called What It's Worth and its a Jesse fic, so go take a look if that interests you.

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Leon chewed at his fingernails, stubbing his toe against the cracked concrete as he waited for Bethany out the front of the mall. He promised her that morning that he'd pick her up at three o'clock sharp and had arrived a few minutes early just to be safe. She was going to ditch her friends and go to visit Jesse's grave with him. Since Ruby had left she'd been spending a lot of time with him and he wasn't sure he'd have managed without her or Angie around to keep him from falling over the edge. He missed his son and he missed Ruby – he even missed the baby. Although he could call and talk to Cade whenever his heart desired he knew he was in no fit state to take care of him at the moment – Vince had done the right thing taking him back to LA with him. Cade deserved someone who could take care of him and give him the proper care he deserved. Leon was confident that Vince and Tala were capable of doing just that and knew that his little boy – his lifeline – was safe with them.

Leaning back against the passenger side door, he ran his fingers through his hair, sighing deeply before looking at his watch. Any minute now Bethany was going to come strolling through those big glass doors, a pretty smile on her face just for him and that look in her eyes that he'd come to know over the past two months. That 'I'm worried about you' look. He was supposed to be the big brother but she was the one taking care of him most of the time now. Now he knew how pathetic and useless Vince had felt those few years ago before Tala had come into his life. Depending on someone other than yourself was hard on the ego.

He was dying for a cigarette. It had been three weeks since he'd started trying to give up smoking and he was now down to the point where a pack of twenties would last him a week. Before that wouldn't have even lasted the morning before he'd need to go and get more. He was amazed at the amount of money he was saving by giving up. He was back to chewing toothpicks and gum, almost constantly trying to rid himself of the 'filthy habit'. Ruby hated it. He'd caught her hiding his lighter once or twice in hopes that he'd cut down and now that he was, she wasn't there to see it. She wasn't around to be proud of him and run her ringed fingers through his hair as she held him.

He'd tried, he really had. Every day he'd gone into the Spa in hopes of someone telling him something – anything – about her and the baby but nobody would tell him anything at all. He wasn't even sure if she was still in touch with anyone there. She'd never really mentioned having any friends at work, then again he'd never really asked her about it.

"No wonder she left so quickly," he muttered under his breath, "- she thought I never cared anyway." He mentally berated himself for being such an arrogant bastard to her during their time together. He really did care for her, he just didn't know how to show it or let her know how he felt. At the time he hadn't realised she didn't know. Now though, Leon knew Ruby had left thinking he hated her and didn't want a thing to do with her or their baby… It couldn't be further from the truth. He was mad about her and without Ruby around to be his rock he was realising just how much he'd depended on her to keep him sane.

His stomach rumbled slightly, protesting the lack of food in it but he ignored it. He didn't feel like eating now – nor yesterday or the day before that. He really couldn't be bothered with it, not when everything he put in his mouth tasted like cardboard. He couldn't remember the last time something had tasted good. Wait – tell a lie – the last time something had tasted good was the day before he and Ruby had fought, when she'd made some chocolate cake which she'd then fed to him, her thumb gently brushing the crumbs from his chin. Back before he'd messed it all up and lost her for good. She'd been so vibrant those few weeks before he'd found out about the baby.

Thinking back to what Vince had said the day he'd come for Cade, Leon started to beat himself up yet again when he realised he had been right. Ruby had kept it to herself because she was afraid of him – he scared her so much that she had kept that from him and hadn't had the chance to enjoy the first five months of her pregnancy.

A hand on his arm startled him into looking up and he was met with a concerned looking Bethany, trying to both comfort him and juggle the numerous bags in her hands at the same time. He immediately sprung into action.

"Here," he reached out to take some of her bags from her, "-let me." Despite her protests he wrestled them from her fingers and headed toward the back of the car, popping the trunk.

"Did you have a good time?" he asked softly, not looking up at her as he spoke. He didn't want to see the look of pity in her eyes as she looked at him.

"I did, yeah," she answered just as quietly. He hadn't been himself – even if he wasn't himself to begin with – since Ruby had left. Any of the light that had started to appear in his eyes had faded once she left and he was slowly wasting away, hiding further and further inside himself. "Did you go into the spa today?"

Leon slowly shook his head, unlocking the car for her to climb in. "Not since two weeks ago. She doesn't want me any more, Bethy. I can't pester her into it. I fucked up and now I have to live with it."

Bethany paused as she was halfway into the car, looking over the roof at him. She had a sudden idea and climbed back out, closing the door and smiling at Leon's confused expression.

"I forgot," she started, "-I left my purse with Shelley when I went to get a soda. I just need to run back in and get it." It was a blatant lie as she was in fact holding her purse in her hand, but Leon was either too wrapped up in his thoughts or just not paying attention and he nodded slightly.

"I'll wait here then."

She shot him a bright smile before turning on her heel and running back inside, heading straight for the beauty spa where Ruby had worked previously. She swore she almost heard heralding trumpets when she pushed the heavy doors open and saw the big black lady manning the counter. She was always nice to them and she even seemed to sympathise with Leon sometimes.

Huffing and puffing, Bethany leaned over the counter trying to catch her breath, much to Cecile's amusement.

"You alright there, child?"

Nodding, Bethany fanned herself lightly, then smiled at the older woman. "My big brother, Leon – he comes in here sometimes asking about Ruby.."

The look of utter relief on Cecile's face gave her a quiet feeling of hope.

"Thank the lord – I was starting to think somethin had happened to the boy." She reached beneath the counter and pulled out a small appointment card, scribbling a number on it before holding it out to her. "I spoke to Ruby a few days ago – she wants him to have this."

Bethany almost dived across the counter and hugged the woman, but instead settled for bouncing up and down on the spot.

"Oh thankyou so much – he's been so miserable lately. He thinks she doesn't want him after what happened."

Cecile smiled, "So does she – kids these days actin all stupid when they're just scared – I'll never understand em." She waved her off lightly. "Go on now, go give your brother that number and tell him to call our girl. She'll love to hear from him."

Giving Cecile one last smile, Bethany headed back out toward the car and once she was there, climbed in brandishing her purse.

"Got it!"

Leon nodded, glancing over at her before leaning forward and starting the car, heading out toward the cemetery to visit Jesse.

* * *

Bethany cursed aloud as she saw Marissa come strolling up the yard, discretely looking out the corner of her eye toward where Leon was sitting on the porch swing. Ever since she'd found out Ruby wasn't around any more she had taken it upon herself to be the one to eventually 'comfort' Leon. So far her every attempt had been met with stony silence or him getting up and walking away from her. Two whole months and he'd not said a word to her to make her back off – he'd just ignored her. 

She wasn't sure which she was more comfortable with – Leon's anger or his silence. He had made it more than clear that he loathed the girl, as most people did, but lately he'd not been trying to discourage her at all. He'd just sit there as she waffled on at him.

Marissa, completely bypassing her altogether, made a bee line for Leon and sat beside him on the swing, her hand coming out to rest on this thigh.

"Hi Leon!"

He slowly turned to look at her, just staring then looked down at her hand on his leg. "Move your hand before I break your fingers." He said slowly, still staring at her hand on his leg.

Marissa laughed, high pitched giggling that grated on the nerves at the best of times.

"You don't mean that now," she left her hand there, frowning as he shifted and moved further along the seat. Shrugging, she followed and sidled up close to him, invading his personal space. The only person Bethany had ever seen do that and get away with it had been Ruby – she was the only person Leon had ever allowed near him like that.

Bethany could see a potential blow up developing and rose to her feet, waving Leon over to her.

"Coming in, Le?" She ignored the filthy look that Marissa shot her. She was tired of the girl being a hanger on, not giving up while she was ahead and getting the hint. She'd been told many times to get lost and not bother returning, but she always did. Bethany could quite easily say she almost hated the girl now.

Ignoring Marissa, Leon climbed to his feet and headed toward Bethany, not really paying attention to where he was going or anything around him. He was a miserable mess, even more so after visiting Jesse that afternoon.

He'd just reached out to slip his hand into Bethany's waiting one when Marissa felt it necessary to pipe up and speak.

"She never deserved you, you know. She was a crazy, strange bitch who was only using you to get what she wanted and as soon as she did – gone."

He stopped still, his hand falling short of taking Bethany's. Slowly, he turned on his heel and fixed Marissa with a darker look than any of them had ever seen on his face before.

"Never," he started softly, "-ever – talk about **the woman I LOVE** that way **AGAIN**!" Both Bethany and Marissa jumped at the deep, bellowing growl that bubbled up his throat as he spoke, the intense anger in his voice. Not even realising he'd stomped off inside, Bethany jumped as he slammed the door and then, startled out of her stupor, started giggling.

Marissa however was not amused. "And just **what** is so funny?" she snapped, glaring at the blonde with a haughty look on her face.

Clapping now, Bethany bounced on the balls of her toes and giggled madly. "I knew it!" Completely ignoring her unwanted guest, she darted inside after Leon to give him Ruby's phone number. He needed to talk to her – desperately.


	40. The Call

**A/N: KangarooGirl, takerlover21, Amarantha, betty-boop (nope - no trilogy),dogreign, tallyz, Jet, leslienicolespeaks and Dani - thankyou so much for taking the time out to review me - y'all kick boo-tay.

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"Are you going to call her?"

Leon looked up toward the doorway, sitting on his bed with the phone in front of him and the small piece of card with Ruby's number on it in his hand. He could feel himself shaking but was unable to stop it – at the present moment it wasn't even on the list of things he needed to do. The little piece of card held precedence over everything else.

Bethany's arms were folded across her chest, her hair a mess from tossing and turning in bed for most of the night listening to him potter around the house wide awake. She couldn't recall the last time he'd slept.

He held the card up a little, then looked at it and his hand fell back into his lap, a deep sigh escaping his lungs.

"I'm scared, Bethy." His voice was almost inaudible when he spoke. "What if she doesn't want to talk to me?" He was vaguely aware of the blonde coming to sit at his side, her hand rubbing his back.

"Leon – if she didn't want to talk to you, she wouldn't have given them her number for you to call."

"But why didn't she call me then? Why couldn't she-" he was silenced by a hand over the mouth.

"Have you ever stopped to think that maybe she's just as scared as you, Leon? She literally had nothing but her job before you came along and now she's all alone again, **_by herself_**, seven months pregnant! She has to be terrified, Le! Now stop being so selfish and fucking call her or **I** will!"

Leon blinked dumbly at Bethany, his mouth slightly open. "You just swore at me." He mumbled, awed.

She nodded shortly. "I did – now call her or I'm calling her myself, then I'm calling Vince. You've had that card for a week – stop putting it off."

He cringed, knowing that if she did that he would have another beating on its way and slowly nodded, picking up the receiver and holding it to his ear. Shaking fingers dialled in the numbers written hastily on the card and by the time he was done and the other end was ringing, he realised he was alone. Bethany had left him in private and closed the door. He would have smiled at her consideration but he was afraid if he did, he'd throw up.

There was a few tense moments when he thought there would be no answer, then he heard a slight click and quiet breathing on the other end, a muffled groan as if she was just waking.

"Hello?"

His heart near stopped at hearing her voice for the first time in months and he was struck with the last thing he'd said to her before she'd left him.

"_That is not my child! Cade is my child – my **only** child! He was born of the woman I love and you, Ruby – are **not** her!"_

A choked sob started to creep its way up his throat and he could feel the hot burn of tears against his face already.

"Could you ever forgive me?" His voice was so quiet that he wasn't quite sure that he'd even spoken himself.

There was a silence, then the sound of movement, sheets rustling. "Leon.." he could have sworn he heard a soft sigh creep into her tone and he found himself feeling even more horrible than he did before.

"Do you," he began, picking at the quilt cover, "-do you remember how I said you weren't Letty – before you left?"

There was a slight hesitation, then Ruby cleared her throat. He could hear the tears in her voice when she spoke. "I remember."

He rushed to continue. "Well you're not – but I don't want you to be. What I had with her was something completely different to what we had and I'm the biggest jackass in the world for not realising that when I had the chance." He was struggling to remain composed, scrubbing at his eyes. "You are so important to me, Ruby Jane and I'm nothing without you. I'm really not." He started to cry, unable to refrain any longer. "I miss you so much.."

"…I miss you too, Le."

Her words only made him worse. He'd treated her so badly yet she still cared for him.

On the other end of the phone, Ruby was laying in her bed, one hand holding the phone the other stroking her belly. Tears wet her cheeks as she listened to Leon falling apart on the other end of the phone – all the way back in Miami where she couldn't comfort him or take his pain away. Thinking it best to distract him a little, she went ahead and asked one of the questions that had been burning in her mind since she heard his voice.

"How's Cade?"

There was a sniffle and she could just see him wiping his nose, scratching at his eyes and rubbing at them with his forearm. He always did that when he was upset.

"He's good," Leon sniffled again, "- Vince took him to the zoo on the weekend and he saw the heffalumps."

Ruby couldn't help herself – she giggled slightly. "The heffalumps?"

Leon grunted slightly. "Stupid movie has a lot to answer for." He answered grudgingly.

Despite herself, she felt a smile creep onto her face and her hand started unconsciously rubbing circles over her bump. The affection she felt for him hadn't abated at all – no matter what, she still loved him.

She cleared her throat. "So Vince is in town?" the awkward silence that met her made her sit up, albeit slowly and rather awkwardly. She was huge. "Leon?"

"He um," he was quiet again, "- he took Cade back to LA just after you left. Said I didn't deserve the child I had let alone the one that wasn't born yet."

Ruby's heart thudded in her chest wildly. Not only had he just acknowledged the baby as his own, but he hadn't seen Cade in over two months. He had to be going mad without his little boy. She forced herself to stay calm, remembering the doctor's orders. The week before she'd been admitted to hospital overnight for observation – she'd been stressed and her blood pressure had gotten dangerously high. Not that she was going to tell Leon that. He had enough to worry about as it was.

"You haven't seen Cade since April?"

He made a quiet sound in the back of his throat, unintelligible. "I talk to him every day or so."

"Leon, you have to go to LA – you need him with you! And don't you argue with me, Leon Michael Orello! You pack your things and you get your ass to Los Angeles within the week. Do you understand me?" Just as she'd finished speaking Bub kicked and she winced, sucking air back in through her teeth. "Ouch."

Leon sounded panicked. "What? What happened? Are you alright?"

Ruby felt herself warm to the toes at the sound of his concerned questioning and blew out a deep breath. "Mm – yeah. I'm alright. The baby just decided to play football with my internal organs is all."

There was a silence again. "… How is the baby?" he sounded nervous, "Is everything ok? How far along are you now?"

She was almost surprised at the genuine curiosity she could hear in his tone, then remembered him when he was younger. He was always so warm with the littler children in the home – even though he'd been pretty messed up when he'd arrived, he would always have time for the younger children.

"The baby's fine – completely healthy." She kicked the sheets off her legs, hot. "I'm about thirty one weeks along- the due date is in late August."

She could hear him mumbling and moving. "August? When in August?"

"The thirtieth." Ruby could tell what he was thinking. It was just July now so really, it wasn't long. Not long at all. She suspected he was sitting there feeling rather ill about it all, but personally, she couldn't wait. She could not wait until she could reach her toes again – until she could hold her baby. Her little piece of herself and the man she loved.

Leon was quiet, obviously thinking about it. "Did – are you very big?" there was more than a hint of nervousness in his tone. "Could I fit my arms around you?"

Ruby laughed slightly, rubbing her belly. "Le, I don't think even Vince could get his arms around me."

The shock was clear in his voice. "You're that big?"

"Yeah – I feel like a damn whale – bet I look like one too."

"You don't look like a whale," he sounded so certain, "- you're beautiful."

She snorted. "Leon, you haven't seen me lately. How can you think I look beautiful if you don't know what I look like at the moment?"

Again, that silence. Finally, when she heard him speak, the tears that had previously stopped started flowing again.

".. Because you're always beautiful."

Ruby wiped at her eyes, trying not to sob. Most of the time she was alright, but occasionally, just sometimes, there were things that would set her off and she'd howl with the best of them. She had the feeling that statement was going to come back to haunt her later on.

"Leon, I have to go – I really do."

He made a soft sound of acceptance. "A-alright then. Will you at least tell me where you are?.. Before I go.."

She smiled sadly to herself. As much as she wanted him to be with her, she wasn't ready for it yet and quite frankly, neither was he.

"Go back to LA, Leon. Cade needs his daddy and you need him – call me when you're home." Not even giving him the chance to respond, she gently hung up the phone and set it down on the bedside cabinet – then the entire conversation came back to her and she started to sob into her pillows.

Back in Miami, Leon was doing the same.


	41. No Place Like Home

**A/N: KangarooGirl, betty-boop, tallyz, Dani, takerlover21, Lady LP, Jet, leslienicolespeaks and Amarantha - thankyou to all of you for your wonderful reviews! New chapter!

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Leon tapped his fingers against the steering wheel rapidly as he drove down the street. Nothing had changed back in LA, nothing. The only new development was that Vince and Tala had moved into the firehouse so they could take care of Winter for him.

He smiled to himself at the prospect of seeing his dog for the first time in almost a year and being back at home. The firehouse held some of his fondest memories – others he didn't really want to remember at all. Still, it felt good to be back in LA and minutes away from being reunited with his son and family. He'd called ahead and told Vince everything, why he was coming back and he'd been met with the understanding big brother he'd always known. Sure he was a little volatile at times, but Vince was a good brother. Everything he did, he did to protect his family. They were the most important people in the world to him.

Turning into the street the firehouse was on, Leon braced himself for meeting his past, turning into the driveway of his old home – now Vince's home. He would be staying with them as there was more than enough room for everyone.

He'd not even had the chance to get out of the car, his door only just opened when the squeals of children echoed down the side of the house and a minute later, both Cade and Aurora appeared, barrelling toward the car. He didn't even hesitate to leave everything in the car and he sprung out, skidding to his knees on the driveway and tugging Cade to his chest.

Instantly the familiar scent of his son assaulted his nose, his warm little body nestled against him with little arms wrapped around his neck. He stroked his dark hair, rocking him slightly.

"You've gotten so big!" he pulled back, looking him over critically. Once he was done, he ran his hand over his hair once more and smiled. He'd missed him so much that it was painful. "I missed you, brat."

Cade giggled, launching himself on his father once more, knocking him back onto his behind. Leon toppled backward, arms flying to catch Cade so he didn't hurt himself and a moment later, Rory too was on top of him, both children giggling madly.

"I see the welcoming committee found you."

Leon looked up, sighting Vince standing a few feet away, arms folded across his chest and watching them.

"Uh, yeah – yeah they did." He gently eased the kids off him and climbed to his feet, brushing his pants off as Vince headed toward him. For a moment he thought he was going to hit him, but then Vince stopped and sniffed, his brow creasing.

"You don't smell like an ashtray."

Leon leant back into the car, grabbing out his cell and wallet. "That's because I quit." When he turned back toward Vince, he caught the look of stunned shock on his face. "What?"

"You actually gave up smoking?"

He nodded absently, opening the back door. "Ruby doesn't like it and it's not good for the baby's health, so I thought that I would – what? What are you staring at me like that for?"

Vince took the duffel bag Leon had just pulled from the car and hefted it up over his shoulder, still looking at Leon with an odd look on his face.

"You're in love with her."

For a moment, Leon didn't say anything, then turning back toward the car he nodded slowly. "Doesn't matter though – she still doesn't want to see me or for me to see the baby, but I can always hope, right?"

Gently patting him on the shoulder, Vince nodded. "Of course, Le – nothing wrong with a little hope." Checking to make sure the kids were playing happily on the grassy lawn, Vince set the bag down and stopped his little brother, turning him to face him.

"How's she doin?"

Leon stared at his feet for a while. "She says she's real big – feels like a whale apparently. I mean, Let didn't get real big, but everyone's different right?" He looked up at Vince, his eyes glassy. "She'll be ok, right?"

"She's a strong woman, Le – she'll be alright, the baby will be fine. You're not going to lose them."

Leon cleared his throat, moving to get the rest of his things. "She's due late next month. You're going to be an uncle again."

Vince nodded, excited but unsure of how Leon was reacting. It seemed like a mixture of terror and anticipation. "And you'll be a father for the second time."

"Yeah," he nodded slowly, closing the car door and calling out to Cade, holding his arms out to his small son, "-if she'll let me."

* * *

"Did I wake you?" 

Ruby snuggled down into her pillows and sighed, the quiet lull of Leon's low timbered voice tickling her ear drum. She'd had a rough day. First she'd been late for work, then gotten into an argument with a customer – who had in fact slapped her in the face and left a nasty bruise on her cheekbone- then she'd lost her purse and had gone into a mad fit panicking about it only to find it behind the couch… It wasn't her day at all. She was so pleased to hear Leon's voice, even if he had woken her at quarter till eleven at night.

"No," she lied, yawning, "-was just laying down." She smiled as she heard his sigh of relief. This Leon was such a contradiction to the Leon she'd known in Miami. He was almost shy when he spoke to her – she found it almost painfully endearing. "Are you back in LA?"

"Yeah – I got back this afternoon. You were right. If I'm going to sort shit out I need to be with my family." His grin was audible in his voice. "When I pulled up, both Cade and Rory came running out to see me – I ended up on the ground of course, but you know, they were excited. Cade recognised the sound of my car's engine – how cool is that?"

Ruby laughed. He sounded like a big kid as he rambled on about how smart his little boy was and how much he'd grown. He was a wonderful father and she was hoping he would take to her baby just as much as he had to Cade – even though she wasn't Letty.

"You're rambling, precious."

He quieted, clearing his throat at her use of her nickname for him. ".. I miss you, gemstone." His voice was much softer now, lower and warm enough to make her toes curl. "When can I see you?"

"I'll send you a photo, how about that?"

He sighed. "I want to see you though."

Ruby bit her lip. She wanted to see him too but she knew that by doing so they wouldn't get things sorted out between them. All would be forgotten and nothing would be resolved. "Leon.. I can't. Not yet. I need to do this on my own, for me – please understand that, Le. Please?"

She was met with an awkward silence that made her fear he'd hung up, then she heard him breathing and her heart pounded wildly. She so vividly remembered how that breath felt against the back of her neck in the middle of the night, how his arms felt wrapped around her as he slept, blissfully unaware that she was still awake just so she could see him with all his walls down – at peace for just a little while.

"Can I still have that photo then?"

She smiled, already trying to decide which one to send him. There had been a staff party a few days earlier and she'd already been given the photos that had been taken of herself.

"Of course you can, precious." There was a slight flicker of fear that he'd change his mind about wanting them when he got the photo, but she pushed it aside and tried not to think about that. If he wanted something to do with the baby then that was better then nothing at all. "How's Cade? Is he alright? Vince, Tala, Rory?"

"They're all great – V got a promotion at work.. he's still limited because of his.." he paused, obviously thinking hard and Ruby had to call his name three times before he replied. "I never told you how Vince's arm got messed up, did I."

Sitting up carefully, Ruby leaned back against the headboard, tugging the sheet over her legs and bump. "No, you didn't." She sat back and listened, almost in tears by the time he'd gotten through his story of how things had come to be and she felt a pounding headache coming on. She now knew everything – it had taken him almost an hour, but he'd told her all about the heists, about Dominic, Mia, Letty and Jesse – some of it tearful, some of it angry.. he regretted all of it.

She pinched the bridge of her nose, taking a deep breath. "For God's sake, Leon.."

He was sniffling quietly, not quite crying but talking about it had dredged up some painful memories for him and he was a little out of it. "Please don't hate me because of what I've done, Ruby."

"Le I don't hate you – trust me, I've tried hating you and I just can't – it's just a lot to process right now." She looked at the clock beside the bed and was surprised to find it was nearing one in the morning. "Look, Le – I'm going to have to go and get some sleep. I'm exhausted, my head hurts, my face hurts.."

"Your face? What happened to your face?" The tone in his voice was instantly fiercer, more protective and he sounded as if he'd readily to jump into the middle of a fight for her.

She cursed herself silently for her slip and touched the bruise under her eye. "I got into an argument with a woman at work today and she slapped me." She sighed, "I should have seen it coming but I didn't think she'd hit a pregnant woman. I was obviously wrong."

He was bristling, she could tell. "Well of course you thought she wouldn't hit a pregnant woman – no fucking person in their right mind would! How goddamn stupid could a person be? Are you alright? Is lump alright?"

Despite herself, Ruby started to giggle madly. He'd nicknamed the baby. "**_Lump_**?" She instantly felt so giddy she could burst.

She could almost see the blush on his face as he stammered a response.

"Well.. Cade and I were talking and we thought we should have something to call the baby for now. We can't call it 'it' or 'the baby' all the time, can we?"

Ruby sobered. He'd told Cade. He'd told Cade that they were having a baby and had actually talked about it with him. He really **was** interested!

"Cade knows?"

"Yeah – he's really excited for us. He wants to know when you're coming home so he can meet lump."

She could feel the tears welling in her eyes. "I'll send you that photo tomorrow, Le."

"Shit – I'm sorry, Rubes.. I didn't mean to – dammit. I'm so sorry.."

She smiled to herself, wiping at the tears that dripped down her cheek. "No, no, precious – I'm just really tired is all. You didn't say anything wrong." Taking a deep breath, she braced herself to say it – the one thing she'd been wanting to say to him for months now but couldn't. "Le?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you, precious." She heard his breath catch, "Goodnight." She hung up, once again before he had the chance to say anything. She was crying again, but this time it was because the weight was finally off her shoulders. He knew now and all she could do was wait and see what happened. She only hoped she hadn't ruined everything.


	42. Picture Perfect

**A/N: Big thankyou to the following for their fantabulous reviews - KangarooGirl, Amarantha, takerlover21, tallyz, dogreign, leslienicolespeaks, Torquebabe, betty-boop, AllAboutAngel and Dani.

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Leon traced his fingers over the matt finish of the photo he'd received earlier in the day from Ruby, his hair a mess from running his hands through it.

Whoever had taken the photo had caught her by surprise, deep in though at the time it was taken. Her bright red hair had seemingly deepened in colour, now a richer, darker red as it peeked out from beneath a dark purple bandanna. His bandanna. He'd wondered where it had gotten to. Her shoulders were exposed, save for the thin twisted purple straps from her dress and she was looking to the side at something out of the picture. She was standing, one hand pressed firmly into the small of her back, the other fingering the strings of colourful beads around her neck and her purple and white tie dyed dress fell from her bust and down over her bump, ending just short of her knees. Her legs were bare all the way down to her feet where he could just make out the purple glittery nail polish on her toe nails, barely obscured by the thick green grass she was standing on.

He blinked rapidly – she **was** huge… And she was beautiful. He had a fleeting moment of horror when he realised that she had never looked so stunning to him, realising he very well could have destroyed all chances of getting to know his unborn child. As it was he'd missed the entire pregnancy anyway. He'd come so close to losing both of them that it quite literally scared him silent.

He looked down at Cade sitting on the floor, happily playing with his cars on a plastic mat and whistled sharply. "Cade," he called quietly, "-come see a picture of Ruby and lump."

The little boy looked up, pushing his hair from his face with the heel of his palm as he scrambled toward his father, big dimpled grin on his face.

"Where Miss Ruby an' lump?"

Leon set the picture down beside him as he reached out to lift Cade onto his knee, settling the small boy before picking up the photo once again, wrapping his arms around Cade to hold him there.

"There she is." He held up the picture, letting Cade look at it carefully. Little fingers traced over the purple dress, then touched the extremely obvious bump.

"That lump in there?" Big brown eyes looked up and met green ones.

Leon nodded, touching the picture himself. "Yeah – that's lump. That's your little brother or sister."

Cade didn't seem too affected by it, instead he stared some more at Ruby's face. "Miss Ruby sad." He looked up at Leon, "Can we make her happy 'gain?"

Leon pressed a kiss against Cade's forehead, setting him back down on the floor. "We're gunna try, little man. Daddy's gunna do his best to make Miss Ruby happy again."

Cade nodded. "Then Daddy be happy too?"

Nodding, he ran a hand over Cade's silky dark hair. "That's the plan, kiddo." He watched Cade go back to his cars and looked down at the picture in his hand again.

He couldn't honestly remember – honestly- when she had looked so beautiful, and he'd thought she looked gorgeous just standing there looking a total mess before her first coffee in the mornings. He knew that it was partly added to the fact that she was carrying his baby, but that was only a tiny part of it. As much as he'd tried to fight it, and fight it he had, he was head over heels for her. His gemstone baby.

Running his thumb over the image of her, he glanced over the top of the picture at Cade and found himself wondering whether their baby would look like him or Ruby. Red hair or brunette, green eyes or blue, pale or olive skinned.. There were so many questions he had but so far, no answers.

"Cade?"

The little boy looked up, pausing momentarily as he watched his father slide forward and stand up.

"Will you be a good boy and keep playing here for a minute while Daddy makes a call?"

"Yes, daddy."

Leon nodded, more to himself and moved toward the kitchen, grabbing the cordless phone off the table before moving back into the doorway so he could keep an eye on Cade while he was on the phone.

It had been a week since he'd spoken to Ruby – a week since she'd agreed to send him the picture. The postmark on the envelope said Las Vegas, so that's where she was. She was so close but so far away at the same time. Vegas was huge so he had little to no hope of finding her there if he were to look for her. Plus, she didn't want him to – she was trusting him not to go to her until she said it was alright for him to… He was going to honour her wishes no matter how much it killed him to do so.

Still holding the picture in his hand, he leant against the doorframe as he watched Cade play, the phone pressed to his ear as he listened to it ring… And ring… And ring. Sighing, he left a short message, just letting her know he'd called and had gotten the photo. He had the oddest feeling that she was avoiding him since she'd told him she loved him the week before. Just hearing those words from her had made him almost fall off the bed – she loved him. Loved **him**. There he was thinking she hated him and would never, ever forgive him for the horrible way he'd treated her and she out and says she loves him. It had stunned him. Both that she felt that way and that she indeed reciprocated his feelings. He wasn't so disillusioned that he'd think that it would solve everything, but he knew it could help along the way.

Now all he had to do was convince her that he was in it for her and not just the baby – he loved her **and** the baby now that he was used to the idea. Ruby was his future, that much he was sure of. He had to convince her that he wasn't in it for the baby, that the baby was just a bonus. He'd messed up with Ruby and there was nothing he wanted more than to make amends with her. He needed her and come hell or high water – he was going to do whatever it took to get her back.

* * *

Vince looked at the picture over Tala's shoulder, chewing a piece of carrot loudly in her ear. 

"She's fucking huge," he mumbled around the food, "-look at that belly."

Tala nodded, her bottom lip caught between her teeth, brow furrowed. "I know, " she looked up at Vince, "-how far along did Le say she was?"

Vince visibly calculated it in his head, counting off his fingers. "She's due August Thirtieth - .. so she's around.. what? Thirty four, thirty five weeks?"

Nodding slightly, Tala set the photograph down on the kitchen table and moved back toward the bench to finish preparing dinner. She'd just picked up the knife and started chopping once more when Vince lifted himself onto the counter beside her work space and nudged her thigh with his big boot. He gave her a cheeky grin and then settled into a more comfortable position.

"What is it, baby?"

Tala looked up at him, brows lifted. "What do you mean?"

Vince rolled his eyes, sliding back onto his feet to stand behind her, his arms draped around her waist, chin on her shoulder. "Tala Leigh Orello – tell me or you can sleep on the couch."

She snorted, elbowing him lightly in the ribs as his fingers lightly tickled her sides. "And what makes you so sure that **I'll** be the one on the couch?"

"Easy," Vince shrugged, brushing his beard across her neck, "-I need more room. You're a little person, thus meaning less leg room."

There was a good natured scuffle between the pair before she settled back against his chest, hugging his thick arms that draped across her own chest.

"It's just.. She's all alone, Vince. Should we call her? See if she needs some help at all or something? Lord knows she's going to have a time of it when the baby comes and-" Vince's hand slipped over her mouth, quieting her.

"Firefly, she'll be alright. If she needs us, she will call us. You know that."

She sighed and went limp, cuddling into her husband's embrace. "I know.."

"Daddy!" Both Tala and Vince looked up at Rory's shouting, "Cade's running away."

Vince stepped back from Tala, glancing at her before making his way out into the backyard where he saw his nephew stuffing his toy cars into his little back pack.

"Where do you think you're going?" He folded his arms and looked down at the dark haired little boy on the grass. It was late afternoon and the summer heat was starting to lessen, a cool breeze blowing through the yard. He momentarily revelled at the feeling, then it was gone. Sure Cade was only two – three soon, but if he wanted to go somewhere bad enough and decided to go by himself, all sorts of horrible things could happen.

Vince was surprised by the depth of emotion he saw in the little boy's eyes when he looked up at him, tugging the straps of his bag over his shoulders.

"Goin' find Miss Ruby. Gunna bring her an' lump home to Daddy an' make him happy 'gain."

For a short moment, Vince stared at Cade and marvelled at the nobility of the gesture, then half turned toward Rory.

"Princess, go and get daddy's keys for him?" He smiled lovingly as he watched his little girl scamper inside to find his car keys and turned back to Cade, crouching down.

"How's about I drive you then, because it's getting late and I don't want you getting lost. We can look for Miss Ruby together – we might even be back by the time daddy's awake that way." He knew it was the last part that got him and he carefully scooped Cade up into his arms. He still had the odd day or two when his arm would hurt a little and today was one of them. Cade had learnt to look for the signs when he'd first come to stay with them and seeing the slight hesitation on his uncle's face, he easily manoeuvred himself onto the left side instead of the right.

A moment later Rory returned with his keys and Tala in tow, a look of curiosity on her pretty face.

"What's going on?"

"We're going to look for Ruby." Vince nodded, giving her a look that said 'go call her'. She nodded slightly, then waved them off.

"Well go on then if you want to be back by dark." She headed back inside, but not before catching Vince's mouthed 'ten minutes'. He would most likely take him around the block once or twice, talk to him and then come home so he could talk to Ruby on the phone. He'd done the same thing with Rory when they'd gotten back from Miami.

Heading back into the kitchen, she nabbed up the cordless phone and the piece of paper tacked to the notice board with Ruby's number on it and dialled. She worried so much about Ruby when she'd first heard she was pregnant, remembering the state she'd been in when she lost her first – the last thing she'd needed was Leon reacting the way he had when she'd been so scared.

Unsurprisingly, she heard the answering machine click in and listened to the short message before hearing the beep.

"Hi, Ruby – it's Tala. Look babe, V's just taken Cade for a little drive as the little one was convinced he was going to find you on his own. If you could call us back on-"

"Hello? Tala? I'm here – I'm here!"

There was a mechanical clicking and then a sigh.

"Sorry about that – I was out on the balcony and it took me a little while to get inside. God bless answering machines."

Tala smiled. She sounded tired, but in fair spirits. "How're you doing, hun?"

"I feel fat, my head hurts and I'm considering applying for my own area code – I'm doing great!"

Sitting down at the table, Tala laughed, picking up the photo again. "I saw the picture – what are you having? Triplets?"

Ruby laughed. "Sure feels like it sometimes. I don't think I remember what my feet look like or the last time I didn't have to get one of the girls to paint my toe nails." Another sigh, and a quiet yawn. "Right – what's this about Cade?"

"He was all set to go looking for you apparently – Vince should be back with him any minute and he'll probably want to talk to you. Is that alright?" She couldn't believe the ecstatic response she got.

"Oh, of course! I'd love to speak to him – I've missed him so much." No sooner had she finished saying that did Vince come back in the door, ushering Cade ahead of him. The little boy headed straight for the phone, which Tala happily handed over.

She got up and went over to Vince, smiling as Cade waffled on at Ruby about something or other then felt herself tear up when he asked to talk to lump. She could see him listening for a moment, then a big wide grin crept across his face and he started talking.

"'Lo, Lump! I'm Cade – your big brother.. I've got lots of cars that you can play with when you come home – I do. There's even a pink one if you decide you wants to be a girl!"

Vince snorted in her ear, chuckling. "Trust him to come up with that."

Tala swatted at his arm. "Stop that – it's adorable, V." She glanced back over to Cade as he was saying something else now, obviously talking to Ruby again when he suddenly looked startled.

"Miss Ruby's crying."

Vince was over by his side before Tala even moved and was talking to her, trying to calm her. Cade in the meantime had run off to get his father just in case. He'd not even been gone a minute when Leon came barrelling out of his room, still half asleep and snatched the phone off Vince.

"Ruby? Ruby Jane, what's the matter? Talk to me, gemstone." He looked frightened, then started to relax and slumped into a chair. His head was cupped in his hand and he sighed.

"Fucking hormones.."

Tala tried not to laugh and immediately sobered at his sharp look.

He perked up a little, looking concerned again as Ruby said something to him on the other end. "Even so, if it gets any worse I want you to go see a doctor. I don't care if it is just a headache, Rubes. No – Ruby! Promise me. If it gets any worse, you go see someone." A look of relief washed over his face and he nodded to himself. "Alright gemstone – you go get some rest." He looked up. "Ruby says goodbye to everyone."

There was a chorus of farewells and one last shout from Cade before he hung up the phone, rubbing his face tiredly. He'd not been sleeping a whole lot at all.

"She's promised me that she'll see someone if her headache gets any worse, but for now she's going to go to bed and try to sleep it off."

"It's perfectly normal to get headaches, Le – you get them all the time."

He looked at Vince, slowly standing. "Yeah, but I'm not a pregnant woman ready to pop am I."

Vince watched him shuffle into his room and close the door, scowling after his brother. "Well you fucking act like one."


	43. Surprise

**A/N: Ms Fi, tallyz, Amarantha, betty-boop, takerlover, leslienicolespeaks andDaniall seriously rock because they reviewed and yes - thankyou muchly.

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Ruby groaned slightly as she started to stir. Her head felt heavy and she was almost a hundred percent sure something was missing. She had a slight headache still, but this time when she opened her eyes she didn't see spots, only a bright light above her and someone standing beside her. She blinked slowly and sluggishly brought her hand up to rub her face, moving her hand to allow the nurse to remove the tubes from her nose.

"Good morning, Miss Garrison – how are we feeling?"

She licked her lips slowly, blinking as she felt herself begin to wake up. Then she realised what was missing.

"My baby – where's my baby?" She was waking up more and more every second and the minute she realised she could see her feet, she started to panic.

"Relax, Miss Garrison – your daughter is fine. She's down in the nursery, but if you give me a minute I can go and get her for you."

Ruby nodded reluctantly and watched the nurse leave the room as she settled back onto the bed. Her stomach was sore from moving and from where she assumed they'd cut her to take the baby. She rested her hand over the tender spot as she took a few slow breaths.

She'd promised Leon the night before that she would see someone if her headache got worse, and when it had woken her up in the middle of the night, she'd gotten herself a cab to the local hospital. Her head was almost splitting from the pain, she had spots dancing across her vision and she felt sick. It wasn't until she was well on her way to the hospital that the pains in her belly had started and she was almost positive that the cab driver had broken every law in the city getting her to the hospital. She'd been there no longer than ten minutes when she'd seen a doctor and had been admitted – then another twenty minutes and she found herself being prepped for surgery.

There had been tears here, there and everywhere. She'd been terrified – her little girl wasn't due until the end of the month and there she was on the second day of it, preparing to give birth. Plus – she was alone. There was nobody she could call, nobody to hold her hand and tell her it would be alright.. no Leon. She had been near wailing, clinging to the bandanna she'd stolen from him when she'd left him initially. It was all she had of his to get her through it and when they'd tried to take it away from her, she had thrown a tantrum that would have put both Cade and Rory to shame. Needless to say, the bandanna had remained twisted around her wrist.

She looked up when the door to her room opened and the nurse from just minutes ago wheeled in a little crib. At first all she could see was a soft looking lemon blanket, then as it got nearer she could hear the almost inaudible noises that a baby made coming from the bundle. Tears immediately sprung to her eyes as the nurse stopped by the bed and carefully scooped the baby up, then ever so gently handed her over to Ruby.

Nestling her against her breast, Ruby started to cry as she laid eyes on her daughter for the first time. She was perfect. A gorgeous little button nose, long mousy brown eyelashes and a head full of hair that even put her to shame. She looked just like her father. She'd often wondered if her little girl would be a red head like herself or brunette like her father and now she had her answer. Her – no, **their**, little girl was the picture of her father. She was Leon all over. From the colour of her hair to the honey like tone of her skin, she was definitely Leon's little girl.

Ever so carefully, she ran a fingertip across her daughter's chubby cheek and felt an indescribable pressure in her chest – she loved her so much already that it physically hurt. She traced over her little fingers and bit her lip to keep from sobbing aloud when tiny fingers closed around her own.

From beside the bed, the nurse watched the scene quietly. "You have a beautiful little girl." She peeked down at her, cooing softly.

Ruby smiled, a brilliant megawatt smile. "She looks like her daddy." She nodded down at her, "You do, baby – you're so beautiful and you look just like daddy." She pressed her lips against her head carefully and rocked the baby slightly. She couldn't believe the elated feeling that swept over her as her daughter slept against her in her arms.

Looking down at her little girl, she knew she had to name her but try as she might, the entire time she'd known she was indeed having a girl she'd not been able to come up with something herself. Maybe Leon would be able to.. She froze. Leon. He didn't know.

He'd inadvertently saved their lives by making her promise to see someone if her head got worse. She owed him everything she now held dear.

"Do you have a name yet?"

Ruby looked up at the nurse, having forgotten she was there. "Um, no – I don't yet. Is – is there a phone I can use?"

The nurse pointed beside the bed and helped Ruby set the baby back in the crib before stepping away to allow her some privacy for her phone call.

"Excuse me?" Ruby called after her softly, "Would you happen to know how heavy she was?"

"Eight pounds, fourteen ounces." The nurse answered with a smile, "And she was twenty one inches long."

Picking up the phone after a quiet thankyou, Ruby looked down at her daughter. "You're a piglet, young lady." She gingerly reached across, still a little tender, to stroke the baby smooth skin of her hand, listening to the phone ring. After a moment she heard someone pick up and her face almost split when she heard it was Cade.

"Lo?"

She smiled. "And what are you doing answering Daddy's phone?" There was an enthusiastic squealing on the other end and she giggled lightly.

"He's in shower – DADDY! MISS RUBY'S ON PHONE!" she heard some background noise then, "He said he be there in a min'."

Ruby gently smoothed the wispy fine hair away from her sleeping daughters face and felt her heart swell with love for her again.

"Cade, baby? Do you have any favourite names?"

He made a sound that implied he was thinking hard. "The lady 'n Casper is Amelia – pretty name."

Ruby smiled as she heard Leon's deep baritone in the background then a shuffling noise and she heard his breathing before she heard him.

"Hello?"

She failed to miss the fluttering in her belly when she heard him speak. "Hey – I kept my promise and went to the doctors when my head got worse." She grinned. She'd already decided there'd be no sugarcoating it. She was just going to tell him straight out.

"You did? Are you alright, gemstone?" the concern in his voice almost made her want to start crying again, but she managed to hold the tears back – only just.

"Yeah – yeah I'm alright. So is Amelia."

There was a sudden silence. "… Who's Amelia?"

Grinning, Ruby ran her fingers over her little girl's cheeks. "Your daughter. Amelia Grace Orello – if you don't mind that is." She waited a moment, then started to giggle as she heard Leon tell Cade to move – Daddy needed to sit down.

"Le? Are you alright?"

There was a coughing sound, then she could hear him taking deep breaths and Cade asking if Daddy was ok.

"That.. I.. She's alright? You're both ok?"

Ruby almost cooed to herself as Amelia wriggled in her sleep, kicking slightly.

"We're alright, Le – I swear we are. She's – oh precious," she bit her lip as she heard Leon's quiet sniffles, tears coming to her own eyes, "- She's perfect, Leon. She looks just like you, I swear."

He cleared his throat. "What happened? Why was she early? How big is she?"

"They took her by caesarean, my blood pressure was too high and all that, and she was eight pound, fourteen." Ruby yawned, rubbing her eyes tiredly. She was exhausted.

Leon had heard the sound on the other end and knew he should leave her to rest, let her get to know her – their – daughter for a little while.

"Can I have the name of the hospital – so we can send some flowers?"

Ruby knew he wouldn't just show up without her permission – she'd made it clear enough to Leon over the past few weeks that he knew not to – so she gave him the hospital name and after a few more words, she hung up and snuggled down into the bedding, her eyes firmly planted on her little girls crib. Her little Amelia.

* * *

Leon stared at the piece of paper in his hand, stunned. He was a father again. He had a daughter that apparently looked just like him. 

"Amelia Grace." He mumbled, testing out the sound of the name on his lips. Oddly enough it felt natural to him and it seemed to just fit. Amelia. His daughter's name was Amelia.

"Holy shit."

He didn't even realise he was crying until he felt a hand on his shoulder, large and callused – Vince.

"Le? Cade said Ruby called. Is everything ok?" He was sitting beside him now, his arm curled around his younger brother's shoulder. He almost jumped, startled when Leon turned into the embrace and buried his face in his shoulder, near sobbing.

"She – she went to the hospital when her head got worse.."

Vince instantly feared the worst. "What happened?"

"She's eight pound, fourteen," he looked up at Vince with red, wet eyes, "- Amelia Grace Orello." He laughed almost humourlessly, but you could hear the relief in it. "Both mom and baby are doing fine."

Instantly relieved, Vince chuckled and clapped his hand down on Leon's shoulder. "Then what the hell are we sitting here for? Let's go tell Firefly and Princess, then go them some presents!"

Leon nodded, standing up after his brother. "I want to get them flowers – Ruby loves gerberas.." he rambled as Vince ushered him out the door. "Gotta – gotta get Amelia some too. Pretty ones." He was in shock.

Vince nodded, waving Cade after them. "We can do that – first you need to get in the car though."

Leon nodded dumbly. "Right – car.. in.." he looked around slowly, "What am I doing, again?"


	44. The Sweet Smell of Exhaustion

**A/N: Thankyou to the following for reviewing and if theres any questions, feel free to use the nifty new features on the site to contact me! - Ms Fi, tallyz, dogreign, takerlover, Amarantha, betty- boo, leslienicolespeaks, Dani and last but not least, Misty!

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Ruby carefully gathered the numerous bunches of flowers from around her room, setting them on the bed as she packed her things. One of the girls from work was picking her up in about an hour or so and she was just trying to get a few things together to make sure she had everything.

Reaching out to carefully shake the water from the stems of Amelia's bunch of flowers, she smiled at the gesture. She'd been sleeping and had woken to a sweet smell surrounding her. Imagine her surprise when she'd opened her eyes to find at least five dozen gerberas littering every surface in the hospital room and a single bunch of blue, pink, purple and white gladiolus' with a beautiful gold card attached. Upon opening it, she was met with Leon's scrawly writing.

_Ruby Jane,_

_You can't even begin to understand the difference you've made in my life. You've brought me joy, colour and in itself – you've brought me life again. Thankyou so much, Gemstone. You **are** my life – you and the kids. Be safe, baby girl._

_Love, Leon…_

She traced her fingers over the black lettering on the card and bit her lip, wiping at the tears streaming down her cheeks after carefully setting the card down with the others she'd received. That one would be going in Amelia's baby book – a gift from Vince, Tala and Rory. The pages were decorated in fairies and little elves, mushrooms and glitter. She'd broken down and sobbed when she saw it.

Reaching over, she picked up the envelope that had come with Amelia's flowers – the gladiolus - her name scribbled across the front and the lingering scent of Leon's aftershave clinging to the envelope. He must have carried it close to his chest before sending it. It was too thick to just be one piece of paper, so she knew it had to be a letter – well that and she'd peeked just to see what it was. As soon as she'd seen the first line '_To my beautiful baby girl,_' she had quickly folded the letter back up and stuffed it back in the envelope. It was Amelia's to read once she was old enough, and until then it would remain unread and tucked safely inside her baby book with all the other little cards and gift tags she'd received.

Amelia was sleeping in her little crib by the bedside, a bright yellow stuffed Lion at the foot of the crib. It was her first stuffed toy and was from her big brother, its face set in a permanent expression of sadness with big black eyes and a frown, the fluffy mane wild around its head. There had been little letters attached to everything that had arrived and it had said Cade had insisted on the lion – a teddy bear wasn't good enough for his Milly. Already he was a proud big brother and he'd not met her yet. She had no doubts that Cade would adore his little sister. He'd even sent one of his die cast cars along for her too. It would be a while before she could play with it, but still, it was the thought that counted.

Looking around, Ruby decided she'd packed everything and sat carefully in the armchair by the bed, the envelope from Vince and Tala in her hand. When she'd received it she'd thought it was just a normal 'congratulations on your baby' card, but inside there had been a short note and some photos included. Ones of Leon and Cade in their time apart. Flipping through them, she did indeed notice that Leon had lost some weight, but after the first week of him being back in LA, he was looking healthier and healthier. Being with Cade was helping him more than expected.

She was just about to look at the next picture when something in the current one caught her eye. It was one of Cade and Leon on the couch, watching television and Leon was laying back, legs propped up on the arms while Cade splatted across his chest. The date on the photo showed it was just the day before Amelia had been born. It wasn't the position either of them were in, nor was it the fact that Leon was only in his basketball shorts and his hair still damp from a shower – it was the tattoo on his calf that made her stop. It was new – and it was oh so familiar.

"Oh my goodness.." her hand came up and covered her mouth, tears pooling in her eyes as she took in the details. It was the original fairy he'd drawn up for her – the gemstone baby – except for a few minute changes. The hair was a little shorter and instead of having her finger to her lips, her hand was resting over her heart, her skirt floor length and split to the hip… Her hair had red in it. It was her. He had gotten a fairy that resembled **her** put onto him permanently where anyone and their dog could see it. He wasn't hiding it. It took a great big sort of commitment to do something like that..

Hope flared in her chest. She wasn't sure exactly what it meant, but it could only be good. Still, she wasn't going to get too excited over it before she'd spoken to him and asked the story behind it. She had to know if it was for her first before she'd get all excited and cave, calling him to her right away. Regardless, the gesture was there and it was so beautiful that just for a little while, she wanted to let herself believe it was indeed for her and it did indeed mean what she thought it might. Just for a little while at least.

Looking up briefly when she heard a knock on the door, Ruby smiled at the young girl that had volunteered to pick her up and take her home. She was only a new girl and didn't know her very well, but she'd offered and Ruby much preferred having someone to drive her home with Amelia then having to wrestle all her things and the baby into the back of a cab.

"You ready to head home?"

Ruby carefully slipped her wrist through the handles of a gift bag full of gifts for Amelia and herself – a beautiful little dream catcher with peridot beads and a white gold ID bracelet amongst them. The dream catcher was from Leon, to keep the bad dreams away from Amelia while he wasn't there to do it himself, and the bracelet a gift from Vince to his niece.

"Yeah," she motioned to the flowers on the bed, "-would you mind carrying those and I'll get Bub?"

The girl, Amanda, nodded brightly. "Of course!" She carefully scooped up the numerous bunches of flowers and headed out the door, Ruby in tow with Amelia cradled in her arms. She had been in the hospital for a grand total of five days and every day she'd been there, Leon had called to see how she was doing, how Amelia was and more flowers had arrived. She'd made sure to tell him that she was being discharged that morning so he didn't keep bombarding the hospital with flora. Not that she was complaining about him sending them, she loved them all and was touched that he'd remembered her favourites, but it wouldn't do any good to keep sending them when she wasn't even there to receive them.

Looking down at her little girl, she cooed quietly, rocking her slightly. She was such a good baby, very quiet and not fussy at all and she made the most adorable snuffling sounds as she nuzzled closer to whoever was holding her. The only thing she didn't seem to be overly fond of was people touching her feet. It seemed almost impossible, but she reminded her so much of Leon in ways like that. He loved to be touched now, but if you got him in particular places, he would flinch and recoil something terrible. Definitely daddy's girl.

Almost at the car now, Ruby took a deep breath and prepared herself for the trip back to her apartment. Back home for the first time since Amelia had been born.

* * *

Ruby rubbed her face tiredly. She felt like curling up in a ball and crying until she was bone dry. 

It had been four weeks since she'd come home from the hospital with Amelia, which meant four long weeks of near constant feedings, crying, diapers, sleeping, more crying – and occasionally it was Amelia's turn too! Once the initial euphoria had worn off the exhaustion kicked in and she'd been running on near empty for the past eight to ten days.

Almost every time he had called, Leon had offered to come and help her out – he'd told her that when she wanted him there, whenever she needed him no matter what time of day that she had to call him. She'd come close to calling him on numerous occasions but at the last minute had chickened out. She'd wanted to prove to herself that she could do it on her own but now that she'd experienced life with a newborn, she realised just how difficult it was. She needed help and she needed it now.

Shaking fingers dialled in the familiar numbers of Leon's cell and she lifted the receiver to her ear, listening to the shrill ringing. She could hear Amelia waking in the bedroom and bit her lip, desperately trying not to cry. She loved her daughter with her all, but she needed rest.

A deep, sleep roughened grumble came down the line just as Amelia woke completely and started to cry. Ruby took a deep breath and just as she was about to say something she heard Leon's voice, clearer now.

"Hello? Ruby, is that you?"

Just hearing his voice did her in and before she could stop it, the flood gates opened and she started to sob. "Leon – I can't do this.. Please, Le, I need your help." Her chest hurt with every heaving breath. She was just so exhausted, both physically and mentally but while she was alone, she couldn't rest and recuperate. She could hear him making soft, soothing sounds and slowly started to catch her breath.

"Ruby Jane, breathe – that's it baby.. Now give me your address and I'll be there as soon as I can." He could hear Amelia crying in the background and instantly regretted not trying to get her to let him come to them sooner, but he hadn't wanted to scare her away. If that had happened he never would have seen her or Amelia ever again.

Ruby told him her address without hesitation and even told him how to get there in a round about way, then after listening to his assurance that he'd be there soon, she hung up and hurried in to see to her little girl.

Amelia's cheeks were pink from crying and screaming by the time she got into the small bedroom that she'd made into the nursery and the tears returned to Ruby's own eyes.

"Oh, baby I'm so sorry! Mommy was talking to Daddy," she told her as she picked her up, "-he's coming to see us, baby." She nuzzled her little cheeks, rocking and swaying slightly whilst humming a soft tune. "Daddy's going to make everything alright."


	45. I'd Give Anything But I Wont Give Up

**A/N: Kangaroogirl, Amarantha, leslienicolespeaks, betty-boop (once again!), Taker lover, tallyz, '...' and Dani are wonderful little muchkins coz they reviewed the last chapter. That is all.**

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**Leon stepped out of the elevator, jingling his keys in his hand. He'd had to stop twice and sacrifice his male pride, but he'd finally managed to make it to Ruby's apartment building. The night watchman had let him in, expecting him after a call to the front desk from Ruby and had assured him his car would be safe in the underground parking lot. 

Glancing down at his hand toward the scribbled apartment number, Leon stuffed his keys into his jeans pocket and turned right, heading toward apartment 132. He could hear the baby crying even as he approached the apartment and wondered what kind of neighbours she had that would be able to ignore that and not offer some kind of assistance. She was obviously a first time mother and on her own, so god knows why nobody had offered her help. Still, he was here now.

Not wasting any time, he lifted his hand and knocked.

"Just a second!" He could hear a muffled sound and the baby quieted slightly, still whingeing, but nowhere near the wailing it had been moments ago. That was his daughter in there – his little girl and with every second that passed he became more and more nervous. Finally when the door swung open, Leon laid eyes on Ruby for the first time in five months.

Aside from looking exhausted and ready to pull her hair out, she looked beautiful to him. Motherhood had agreed with her body and she was a little curvier then she was before, but that didn't matter to him. She was still his gemstone and even if she was wearing an old pair of men's pyjama pants and a tank top, she was the mother of his child and the woman that held his heart. She was crying.

Tears started to fill his own eyes when he realised just how big a step it was for her to call him. She stood in front of him for a few seconds, then launched herself forward, throwing herself into his arms and sobbing.

"Oh God, Le – I've missed you so much.. I'm so sorry I ran away, I was so scared.." she was rambling into his neck, clinging to him as he picked her up and carried her inside, gently nudging the door shut with his foot. She felt softer against him, her hips wider underneath his hands and her breasts larger. He was guessing that was because she was feeding their daughter though.

One hand came up to stroke her hair, the other around her waist holding her against him for all he was worth. He'd made the biggest mistake of his life by scaring her away the first time and there was no way he was letting her go again. It had taken her leaving him to make him realise just what she meant to him and there was no way he could lose her again. He wasn't going to ruin things this time.

"Where's your room, Rubes?"

She lifted her head, her eyes bloodshot and her nose bright red from crying to tell him, then jumped as Amelia started wailing again with renewed vigour.

"I have to-"

Leon cut her off. "You tell me where she is, and then go to bed. I can take care of her.." he looked down at her, holding her face in his hands. "Go on, Ruby – go and get some rest." He wasn't sure what it was exactly that he'd said, but he wasn't about to argue when she wrapped her arms around him again then kissed him lightly on the mouth before turning and heading down the hall. She stopped in the doorway of one room, then pointed across the hall.

"She's in there, Le."

Making his way closer, he ushered Ruby into her room and once she was in bed, he tentatively stepped into the smaller bedroom, painted a soft lilac colour. There was a white crib on the far side of the room with a small mosquito net shrouding three sides of it, and he could make out the tiny form of his daughter inside.

This was it. The first time he was seeing his little girl aside from the sonagram picture of her at five months.

His paternal instincts kicked in as he got closer and he reached down into the crib, his large hands sliding beneath the wailing infant's head and body. As he lifted her, she started to calm, still kicking slightly and gurgling, coughing occasionally from her crying fit. She was so tiny compared to him.

The moonlight was shining in through the window and it was indeed that that lit her face as he peered upon it for the very first time. Ruby was right – she did look like him. Carefully cradling her to his chest, Leon reached across and flicked on the small teddy bear lamp by the side of the crib and looked around the room for somewhere to sit. Seeing a rocking chair, he was guessing Ruby sat there to feed her, he slowly sat down, the whole time gently patting her chubby leg and whispering soft words to her. Now that he was sitting he could look at her properly and not worry about dropping her or tripping on anything. He was always paranoid about that when Cade was a baby too.

She was looking at him – her eyes open, fingers curled into tiny fists against her chest and looking at him through cornflower blue eyes. They were light enough for him to suspect they would soon turn green like his own or Ruby's – a clear pale blue and they were focused firmly on his face. Sniffling slightly, Leon stroked her fingers and a tear started to make a wet trail down his face as her tiny fingers curled around his thumb, squeezing with all the strength she had. He smiled, laughing slightly.

"Hey beautiful," he flexed his thighs, rocking the chair slightly, "-I'm your Daddy." He stared down at her, her pale brown hair a mess and sticking up this way and that like his did when it was shorter.

"I'm so sorry, baby – I really am. I was so scared that I would lose your mommy and I didn't think.. I was so scared that I couldn't take care of you and mommy and you know what?" He lifted her and laid her up his chest, her head nestled in his neck as his big hand stroked her back and head. "I'm so proud of her – your mother – she's done so well so far. She's so strong, and so brave… You're so lucky to have her, Lia. That's what I'm going to call you, baby. Lia. Do you like that?"

He could see her trying to move her head, trying to look up at him as he spoke to her and his heart melted. He'd very nearly lost all chance at all of this moment happening – but now, now he wouldn't trade it for the world. He went on.

"Well it doesn't matter if you don't, because I'm going to call you that anyway. Now as I was saying," Amelia was quieting even more, snuffling at his neck and growing just that little bit heavier as she started to drift off, "-your mommy.. She's special, Lia. She's so special and if you grow up to be like her, I'll be so proud of you because you're both so beautiful and I love you both very much." He kissed her forehead, rocking slightly. "I'm sorry I wasn't here before, baby."

He wasn't sure how long he sat there in the nursery just holding her, rocking back and forth in the rocking chair with her curled against his chest. At one stage, he'd been so content that he'd started to drift off just before dawn, but he'd soon woken up as soon as Amelia so much as shifted in her sleep and had gently laid her back in her crib. Now he was in Ruby's room, sitting beside her on the double bed as she slept, her cheek pressed against his thigh and her hair splayed across the sheets behind her. He'd dozed off like that and had only woken when he felt Ruby shift, then he heard Amelia crying and realised Ruby was getting up to her.

"Gemstone.."

She smiled back over her shoulder, still half asleep. "She needs to be fed, Le."

He blinked dumbly. "Oh," he could feel his neck heat, "-right." He'd not ever thought of that. Sure, he'd known Ruby would be breast feeding, but he'd never experienced that with Cade as he'd had to do everything for him on his own. After a moment when she didn't return, he climbed from the bed and started across the hall. Stopping in the doorway, he was greeted with the sight of the woman he loved changing **their** child, cooing and talking gibberish to her. He'd never felt so blessed.

When Ruby turned and saw him in the doorway, she flushed and cleared her throat.

"Um.."

Leon grinned, then it faded as he wrung his hands. "Could um.. Would.." he sighed, looking up at her, "Could I sit with you when you feed her?"

Nodding slightly, Ruby followed him back into the bedroom and once he was sitting on the bed, she sat carefully between his steepled knees and leant back against his chest. Within no time Amelia was contently nursing and Le's chin was resting heavily on her shoulder, his big hand cupping the back of Amelia's head, stroking her hair. He was completely enthralled.

She felt his lips against her neck briefly and turned to look at him, coming to find herself within inches of his face. They remained that way for a moment, silent, then ever so slowly Leon leant forward and kissed her, his lips warm and soft against her own. When he pulled away, he nuzzled her cheek, his free hand stroking her side.

"I'm sorry Ruby – I was such an asshole."

She nodded against his cheek, her eyes still closed. "You were." She didn't say anything else, looking back down at Amelia.

He looked down at his nursing daughter and was again struck by what he'd done – he had denied his little girl because he'd been afraid. He was an idiot. "She's beautiful, Rubes – like her mother."

Ruby flushed, ducking her head. She wasn't used to him being so forward with compliments like that and she inwardly wondered whether he was only saying that because of Amelia. He must have felt the slight stiffening in her posture and she could feel his breath against her ear, hot and moist.

"I mean it, Ruby Jane – You're beautiful, you're amazing, you're confusing as fuck sometimes and you drive me up the wall, but you're mine," he paused tentatively, "- if you still want to be."


	46. God Bless Big Brothers

**A/N: KangarooGirl (bless your gorgeous english heart woman), takerlover, betty-boo (me too!), leslienicolespeaks, Amarantha (hands you a tissue), Dani and tallyz - thankyou for reviewing!

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Ruby sat back, eyes closed with her hands loosely clasped across her belly. Leon had taken Amelia out for a walk so she could have some time to herself and have a break. He'd been with them, herself and 'Lia' as he'd dubbed her, for the past week and a half. At first things were very delicate, like they were walking on eggshells around one another, but as the time went on both had relaxed a little and things were a lot more comfortable now. She wasn't sure what she'd have done without him over the past week. A five week old infant was hard work for someone who had little to no experience with babies and quite frankly, Leon dropping everything and coming to help her proved him to be a life saver. She was going mad with exhaustion before he'd arrived.

She smiled at the memory of the night before, waking to hear Leon's baritone singing quietly down the hall in the living room. He didn't sing often and she'd been drawn to the sound, curiosity getting the better of her. She'd stood just inside the living room for some time watching him pace in the darkness with Amelia cuddled against his broad shoulder. They'd soon discovered not even a day after he'd arrived that the little girl didn't like having anything between herself and her daddy. If Leon was holding her he had to be topless, as did she. If it wasn't skin to skin contact between the pair Amelia would scream the house down. Needless to say when she'd found Leon rocking their daughter the previous night and singing to her, all he'd been wearing was his boxers and Amelia her diaper. It hadn't taken long for the little girl to drop off in her father's arms and that had been when Leon had turned and seen her standing there watching them. Not a word had been exchanged between the pair, he'd merely just guided her back to her room and then put Lia back to bed.

He himself had been sleeping on the couch. He'd not dared crawl into bed with her since that first night. She'd overheard him talking to Vince on the phone a few days earlier and he'd said that he wasn't going to push her into anything she didn't feel comfortable with – for that she was grateful, but she missed his warmth against her back. It had been months since they'd just lay in bed and cuddled, his leg thrown over hers pinning her to the mattress. If he was to start sleeping with her again, she would have to be the one to ask him to. Only thing was, she wasn't entirely sure she forgave him for what he'd said and done to her months earlier. She got that he'd been afraid, but he'd had no right saying those things to her – they were cruel, hurtful and he'd frightened her beyond belief. There were some things in their relationship that would take a lot of time to heal. She trusted him with her life, with her baby's life – but her heart was another thing entirely. She wasn't sure she could allow herself to get hurt the way she had been. She still loved him with all her heart and would die if anything ever happened to him, but she just wasn't sure. Fear was a powerful emotion.

Ruby sighed, curling onto her side on the couch. The cushions smelled of Leon's woodsy cologne from where he'd laid the night before and one of Amelia's stuffed toys, Bobo, was laying by the pillows he'd been using. He was trying, she knew that and he obviously loved Amelia, but a small part of her wondered whether it was only the baby he was there for – whether he wanted her as well as their daughter.

The ringing of the phone startled her out of her thoughts and she lazily reached for the hands free before she flopped back down on the soft couch, answering.

"Hello?"  
There was a brief moment of silence, then a man cleared his throat. "Ruby? Its me, Vince." She smiled to herself at his tentative tone. She'd gotten along well with him during his time in Miami and was eternally grateful for what he'd done for Leon.

"Hey, Vince – how are you?"

"I'm good," he hushed someone in the background, "-how are you? How's the midget?"

Ruby smiled, rolling her eyes. Leon had told her that he'd already taken to calling Amelia the midget and couldn't be swayed to pick another nickname, so she supposed she'd just have to get used to it.

"She's great, she's actually out for a walk with her daddy at the moment. Oh, Vince she's getting so big already and she's so beautiful.." she trailed off, realising she was gushing and felt her cheeks heat. "Sorry, Vince."

He laughed. "I know what you mean – I couldn't believe how fast Rory was – **is** – growing. I'm starting to stress about her dating already." His smile was audible and Ruby found herself grateful he didn't think her an idiot. She liked Vince and wanted her daughter to have a good relationship with her family.

"You've got a while to wait yet, Vince," she sat up, cuddling Bobo, the lion Cade had given Amelia.

He grunted. "It's never happening." He sounded so sure. "Anyway- how is everything going with you and the moron? He behaving himself for you?"

"He's been wonderful." She answered truthfully. "I'm not sure what I'd have done without him here to help out." Long fingers edged in chipped pale pink nail polish picked at the furry mane on the lion toy. "He's been a godsend."

Vince was quiet for a moment. "He was a wreck without you, Ruby. He really was. Now if he knew I was telling you this he'd kick my ass, but I've never seen him as happy as he was when he was with you – even with Letty while she was alive. There was always a kind of tension there with them – they were in love, don't get me wrong, but she was Dom's ex… You were something new and completely different for him and he really adored you, Rubes. He still does."

Ruby chewed her thumbnail, leaning forward now as she took in what Vince was saying. Her skirt brushed the top of her feet and her clunky plastic bangle fell against her ringed fingers. She didn't wear as much jewellery now that she had Amelia – she was desperate not to harm her in any way.

"He loves you Ruby, he really does. I hope you can find it in you to accept him, faults and all – God knows he has enough of them."

Ruby smiled slightly. "I know he has faults, Vince and I can handle that, but I don't want to have to spend my life wondering what his agenda is when it comes to us."

"He just wants to be with you – he loves you and would move heaven and earth to help you out, Ruby. Amelia is just a bonus to him – one he happens to love and can render him totally and utterly blonde at the mere mention of her name. Give him a chance, Ruby. He wont let you down a second time. Not now that he knows just what he's missing and what he has to lose."

She could hear a key jangling outside the door and gave her watch a startled glance. He'd been gone almost an hour although it only felt like fifteen minutes.

"Vince, I have to go – Le is back with Amelia."

"Alright, munchkin. Will you at least think about what I said?"

Ruby nodded to herself. "Of course I will – I swear. I'll give it some thought." It wasn't like she could ignore something like that anyway.

He sounded relieved. "Good. I'll catch you later then. G'bye, Ruby. Say hi to Le and the midget for me."

Leon was just coming in the door as she was hanging up the phone and she rose to meet him. There was a wide smile on his face and Amelia was fast asleep, her little fists curled against her chest, long mousy brown lashes falling in half circles against her cheeks. She was the image of her father more and more with every day and Ruby found herself unable to stop thinking about what Vince had said.

"Leon?" She asked hesitantly, taking the diaper bag from him before watching him carefully lift their sleeping daughter from her stroller. "Someone said something to me just before and it's got me thinking.." she couldn't believe she was about to do this, "Do you love me? Not just Amelia, but me too?"

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye hesitantly, big hands securely holding the tiny sleeping infant to his chest. His thumb brushed over the soft hair on her head unconsciously. After a moment, he nodded ever so slightly and cleared his throat.

"Very much."

Ruby felt the tears welling in her eyes. They were far from perfect, but with his admission they were getting closer to being there some day. She stroked his smooth cheek, he'd been shaving so his goatee didn't irritate Bub's skin, and stepped closer, Amelia between them. Nerves bubbled in her stomach as she eased his head down and closer to her own, their lips meeting for the first time in months. He still tasted the same, his mouth against hers still felt the same and oh so right – she still loved him so much it hurt.

Slowly she drew back from him and his eyes fluttered open, slightly confused. "What was that for?"

She flushed, looking at her feet, bottom lip in her teeth. "I just wanted to is all."

Leon's mouth quirked slightly and he nodded, brushing a kiss over her forehead. "Well feel free to 'just want to' anytime."


	47. Meeting The Midget

**A/N: dogreign, Amarantha, takerlover, leslienicolespeaks, Dani, betty-boop, KangarooGirl and tallyz - thankyou for reviewing and thanks to all who read the last chapter. Onward!**

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Leon hovered behind Ruby as she gently eased Amelia from the car seat, patiently waiting to be handed his daughter. He honestly had no idea that he'd feel the way he did about her – he couldn't remember ever experiencing anything like it. There was something so special about having a little girl, something that made it completely different to having a son. He loved his children with his all, but Amelia was so delicate and fragile, so precious to him that it hurt. He couldn't remember ever feeling so helpless nor needed at the same time when Cade was a baby.

In front of him Ruby straightened, Amelia's chubby cheek pressed to her bare shoulder, tiny fingers twisted in the silky fabric of her halter top. The little girl was already her mother's daughter. Leon had dressed her himself that morning – they were introducing her to the rest of the family for the first time and had made the trip back to LA – and she was wearing a beautiful little lilac dress with butterflies embroidered all over it, matching purple booties on her tiny feet.

"I swear she only wakes up when she knows she's going to you." Ruby commented, smiling as she handed Amelia over to a waiting Leon. His eyes flickered from Ruby to Amelia, then back up as he balanced the baby in one arm and unbuttoned the neck of his shirt, tugging it aside slightly. Amelia's fussing silenced as soon as her cheek lay against the bared section of flesh on her father's chest. Leon watched her sleep against him for a moment and sighed deeply, bending his head down ever so slightly to nuzzle the top of her little head. His eyes focused on Ruby, watching them with a small smile on her face.

"Thankyou." He said softly, green eyes holding hers.

Ruby frowned slightly, stroking Amelia's arm once she'd shouldered her purse and Amelia's nappy bag. Bobo was tucked beneath her other arm. "For what, precious?"

Leon looked up at the firehouse, knowing his family was in there waiting for them to come in, giving them time to prepare. He looked back down at Ruby, bending to kiss her brow lightly, hand stroking Amelia's thigh aimlessly.

"Just thankyou."

He looked up toward the head of the drive, a small smile on his face. Cade was standing there, hands clasped in front of him, bottom lip caught between his teeth and Tala was standing behind him with her hands on his shoulders. Slowly and carefully, Leon knelt in the centre of the drive and nodded slightly, urging Cade closer. He walked forward tentatively, big doe eyes firmly fixed on his new baby sister. He was so enthralled that he'd not even realised he'd passed by Ruby and was standing in front of his father while she had moved to embrace Tala. The two women stood back, arms around each other and talking amongst themselves quietly as Leon introduced Cade to Amelia.

His big brown eyes were glassy and wide as he sat on Leon's thigh and looked at his sister. Nervously he reached forward and touched her hand, jumping when she made a small gurgling sound. He tore his hand back, tears pooling in his eyes.

"I di'n't mean it, Daddy!" He exclaimed, panicked. "Didn't mean to hurt lump!"

Leon chuckled, carefully wrapping his arm around Cade whilst supporting Amelia in the other.

"You didn't hurt her, brat – that's her way of talking for now. She can't talk like us yet." Leon watched, the picture of a proud father as Cade's small hand reached out again and stroked her head, little fingers running over her soft hair. She had a lot of it too.

Cade squirmed and pulled a face, looking up at Leon. "Feels funny." He told him, rubbing his hands against his belly.

"Her hair?"

The little boy shook his head. "Belly – feels glowy and funny." He didn't seem too concerned with the sudden teary look on Leon's face, nor Ruby or Tala's and instead paid more attention to Amelia as she wriggled in Leon's arms. "My Milly." He said softly, pecking a tiny kiss against her hands.

Leon watched his son whisper to his daughter and was filled with adoration for the two small people in his arms. He'd helped create both of them, the two beautiful children he held and nothing, not even the devil himself would ever be able to take that from him. He'd never felt so proud of anything in his life. Never.

"It's your job to take care of her from now on, Cade." Leon told him quietly. "Amelia is your little sister and she'll always need you to be there for her. Ok? Like Uncle Vince is for Daddy."

Cade nodded, his face serious and complete with an expression of understanding. Even though he was just a child himself, he knew that Amelia was partially his responsibility now and he would do all he could to help and or take care of her as she grew. It was his duty as big brother.

"Yes, Daddy."

Leon nuzzled Cade's dark hair then made to stand up, unable to resist smiling when he saw Vince come striding around the corner. Rory was hot on his heels but was more concerned about talking to Miss Ruby – Vince on the other hand, try as he might, couldn't hide the love he had for babies. He put up his big bad facade in front of most people, but as soon as you put an infant in front of him he melted.

He held up his hands as he neared. "I'm clean, I'm recently showered and I don't smell horrible," he paused right in front of him, "-give her to me."

Leon scowled darkly. "She's **my** daughter – don't demand anything of me when it comes to her or I'll throw you down and choke you to death with your shirt." He dotted a kiss against Amelia's head when she wriggled, then looked back up at Vince. "Take your shirt off."

The bigger man lifted a brow and glanced at Tala and Ruby. "Off?"

Nodding, Leon adjusted Amelia in his arms so her cheek wasn't pressed against skin. Immediately she started to fuss, then whine, then cry. Within moments of him setting her back against the bared patch of skin she settled again. Vince watched for a moment, stunned, then slowly did as he was told and dropped his tank on the hood of the car. Heavily tattooed arms reached out once more and this time Leon handed his daughter over, but not without a great deal of hesitation.

At first the infant fussed slightly, unused to the way Vince held her as opposed to her father, but as soon as he had her situated against his chest, stubbly cheek against her head, she nuzzled right in. The light fabric of her dress spilled over his inked forearm, her little hand curled into a fist over his chest and her eyes closed. He smiled, inhaling the soft baby powder scent her skin held, his other hand cupping the back of her little head.

"What colour are her eyes?" He was looking at Leon who was now holding Cade, the toddler settled comfortably on his father's hip.

"They're blue at the moment," Le rubbed Cade's back absently, he'd missed his son while he was in Vegas, "-but I think they're going to turn green. Both Rubes and I have green eyes, but you never know. Could stay blue."

Vince nodded, rocking ever so slightly, a slight bounce in the movement. He watched Leon from beneath his brows as he feigned talking to his sleeping niece. Even though he was holding Cade and listening to whatever it was the dark haired little boy was saying, his eyes were firmly locked on Ruby as she spoke to Tala and nursed Rory. She looked good for someone who'd not long ago given birth and he could tell that Leon was more than aware of that fact as well.

"Hey Le," he motioned him over with a nod of the head, "-you tell her?"

Leon's eyes never left Ruby for a second, not until he heard the quiet gurgling of his baby girl and he turned to look at her instead.

"Not yet." He set Cade down on the driveway so he could go say hello to Ruby. "Not in so many words. She asked and I said I did, but I.." he shrugged. "I've only ever said that to one person, V – you know it doesn't come easy."

Vince hummed softly, lips barely brushing the top of Amelia's head. "Get your stuff and head inside," he told him as the women approached, "-I'll carry the midget."

There was no argument from Leon and he moved to get their things from the car, along with Tala. Even Rory and Cade helped carry some of the lighter things, but Vince held Ruby back when she went to help.

"She's beautiful, Rubes – like her Mama." He grinned at her pink cheeks and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, easily balancing Amelia against him. "Missed you, Fairy."

Ruby squeezed his waist, leaning into his shoulder momentarily. "It's good to be back."

Vince watched from the sidelines as his family started heading inside the house, playful banter and abuse coming from almost every one of them. He ran his hand over Amelia's back, smoothing her dress down over his tattooed arm. "Welcome to the family, Midget."


	48. The Reason

**A/N: Big ass thankyou to the following for reviewing: Tallyz, leslienicolespeaks, betty-boop, taker lover, Misty, Amarantha, Dani and Ms Fi. Bless you all for taking the time to let me know what you thought of the last chapter!

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"You'll have to come in, Le – I can't hear you through the door!"

Leon quirked a brow but did as he was told. Vince and Tala had taken both Rory and Cade out for the day to the circus, giving Ruby and himself some time alone with the baby. The past four weeks had been hectic enough, what with little Amelia being introduced to all her surrogate uncles and Grandpa Mark down at the shop and Vince constantly wanting a cuddle, the kids all over them and the constant noise in the firehouse.

He peered around the door apprehensively and smiled to himself when he saw Ruby's naked back, her hair wet and pulled to one side over her shoulder. The tattoo he'd designed for her was prominent, eye catching in all its glory in the centre of her lower back and she had her knees bent. Amelia was laid back on her thighs, the warm water lapping at her little limbs, arms waving excitedly. She was a total water baby and loved her baths – Leon had a feeling he'd never get her out of the pool when she was old enough.

He sat beside the bath on the floor and dipped his fingers into the water, rubbing them over Amelia's belly much to her delight. He got a gurgle from her and what looked to be a smile. She was three and a half months now so it was more than possible.

"Mornin' baby girl," he cooed softly, eyes fixated on her little face. She turned at the sound of his voice and kicked slightly, watching him with a definite smile on her face.

Ruby giggled, bouncing her knees ever so slightly, cupping some water in her hand and dripping it over Amelia.

"Someone loves her daddy, doesn't she?" she bent and kissed her nose, Le's eyes catching hers as she started to sit up. "What?"

Leon was staring, he knew that much, but he couldn't help it. After all he'd put her through Ruby had taken him back and stuck it out with him. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have her in his life again and everyday he still thought about his monumental fuck up. The two girls in front of him, his lover and his daughter, could have been lost to him due to his foolish pride and inability to think before he spoke.

He reached out and brushed her fringe out of her eyes with damp fingers, resting his chin on the side of the bathtub. She was looking at him now, slightly apprehensive.

"Leon? What's the matter?"

He shook his head, smiling to himself as he turned his attention back to his daughter. She was still watching him, her mouth just open, eyes wide and starting to turn a greener shade of turquoise. He'd known somewhere deep inside that they would turn green at some stage, but the mystery yet was whether they'd be a pale green like his or a vibrant shamrock green like Ruby's. He was hoping for the latter – for all she looked like him, he wanted her to have something of her mother in her. Ruby had beautiful eyes and it would be a crime for at least one of their children not to inherit them. He dipped his fingers in the water again and lifted them over her face, her eyes following them the whole time. She grinned and kicked happily when he shook his fingers, sprinkling water over her face.

"Not that I don't love your company, Le," Ruby began, gently running the washcloth over Amelia one last time before handing her over to Leon, "-but what was it that you wanted?"

He carefully took Amelia and wrapped her in a soft towel, his big roughened hands wiping her face with the corner of the towel. He kissed her chubby cheek before looking back down at Ruby, now reclined in the tub and adding more hot water. There were a few lingering stretch marks from where she carried Amelia on either side of her belly and every fibre of him wanted to lean down and kiss them. He was so proud of her and everything she'd battled through.

"Nothing," he replied lightly, carefully bending with the baby in his arms to kiss her forehead, "-take your time in here, ok? You deserve it."

Ruby smiled quizzically. He was acting strange but if it meant she could stay in the bath longer and have him take care of their daughter, then she wasn't about to question it.

"Alright then." She couldn't keep the bemused look off her face and dipped her head beneath the water, wetting her hair. When she came back up Leon was still standing there, just watching her with an odd look on his face, seemingly deep in thought.

"What's on your mind, precious?" She asked, patting the side if the tub. He shook his head and made for the door, not sitting.

"Not a lot," he mumbled, "-just struck me how much I love you is all." He left the room bouncing Amelia in his arms and talking to her in gibberish, both father and daughter grinning the whole time.

Ruby sat up straight in the bath. "Did he just-?" she craned her neck to look out the door but couldn't see past it and wrung out her hair before standing up and tying a towel around her haphazardly. She was still tucking it in as she walked the length of the landing, then up the last few steps and into Leon's room.

He was sitting on the bed with all Amelia's baby things around him, fighting with a diaper as he chattered along to her, explaining the difference between X-men the cartoon and X-men the movie to her. It was playing on the television even though nobody was watching it. Cade must have left it on when he'd left.

"- see, but I myself always liked Rogue. The sassy redhead. Now she kicked some serious ass in the cartoon, yet in the movie… pfft! Ooh – and Gambit! He was always a favourite of mine, but they didn't use him in the movie – they used Colossus instead. What the fuck is up with that?" He paused. "Don't tell your mother I said that in front of you."

"Did you mean it?"

He looked up toward her, brows raised, hand holding the diaper mid air. "What? That Rogue is my favourite X-man? Or.. woman, as it were.." he looked as if he was even confusing himself.

Ruby glared at him. "No, you moron! When you said you love me." Her voice was considerably quieter toward the end of the sentence, insecurity bleeding into her tone.

"Oh, that." He shrugged flippantly, lifting Amelia by the legs to put her diaper on. "Would I have said it if I didn't mean it?"

"Leon! Stop playing with me – I can't take much more."

He stopped what he was doing and rose from the bed, double checking to make sure Lia was safe before he walked over and took Ruby's face in his hands.

"You have given me a beautiful daughter and so much more, Gemstone." He kissed her sweetly. "Of course I meant it. I love you now and have done for a while. I can't breathe without you and if I lost you again I couldn't go on." By the time he was finished Ruby was in tears, her hands over his on the sides of her face. "I love you, Ruby Jane Garrison." He kissed her again. "And you're never getting rid of me."

There was a cry from the bed and both mother and father turned to look. Leon grinned.

"You either, Lia! You're mine and nobody's ever taking you away from me." He picked her up and held her up to his face. "Isn't that right babe – all mine. Well, I suppose you're kinda your Mommy's too."

As Ruby stood there and watched Leon interact with Amelia she couldn't believe what was happening. She finally had him, heart and all.


	49. Epilogue

**A/N: Right, so this is it - the Epilogue. The final chapter. Whatever you'd like to call it. I'd like to take a moment to thank everybody who's taken the time to review over these past few months - at times those reviews were all that kept me committed to writing this story. I'm so very grateful that it's been received so well and so so flattered that you all supported me so. Thankyou all. **

**Now that i've gotten that out of the way, on with the show - I present to you the closing chapter of On The Way Down.**

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Leon laughed, trying vainly to pull his head away from the little fingers seeking out his sunglasses. The little girl on his hip was giggling, enjoying her daddy's attempts to elude her. 

"Let go of the hair!" he said loudly, no hint of malice or anger in his tone whatsoever. Again the child laughed and tugged that little bit harder, pulling his head just near enough to steal the sunglasses off his face, bringing them up to her own clumsily. She beamed at her father once she was sure they were on properly, looking at him through the red tinted lenses.

"You're pink, Daddy!"

Leon snorted. "I am not pink," he argued, "-the world is a dinosaur and you are the queen of penguins!" He wasn't quite sure what he was on about, just randomly spitting out words here and there, but he did know for sure that he was amusing his daughter and that was all that mattered. It was his day with the kids, a Sunday, as he'd decided when Amelia was just a baby that it was to be her day to herself. Ruby day, he'd dubbed it. Every Sunday he would take the children out for the day and give her some time to herself, leaving her to go get pampered with Tala, go shopping or do whatever else she fancied without having to worry about watching the kids.

All the wriggling and squirming that had taken place moments before had taken its toll and even though she was still playing with his sunglasses, Leon found himself adjusting his grip on his little girl and hitching her higher on his hip as he walked down the beach. The sun was warm on his skin and not only himself, but the kids were slathered in suntan lotion as well to prevent burning. Ruby had made him promise.

Cade had grown to take after his mother in more ways then one, but the most noticeable was his skin tone – a deep rich caramel colour that betrayed his Latino roots. He was eight now and already he was tall for his age, dark hair messily spiked here and there from the ocean water, eyes sparkling mischievously as he snuck up behind his sister and dumped a bucket of water over her head.

Amelia, now five, squealed in outrage and took off up the almost deserted beach after her big brother, shouting abuse at him. It was definitely a case of like father like daughter there. She was more like him with each passing day, her pale brown hair hanging just past her shoulders, a slight curl to it, shamrock green eyes blazing. She would often come out with things that made even him stammer and splutter – her mouth was just that tad dirtier then Cade's was at that age.

Then there was Lucy.

Leon nuzzled his baby girl's cheek lovingly. She was three and a half now and much preferred curling up with her Daddy to playing with her brother and sister. She was his little miracle, Lucy was. Ruby had been near her due date whilst pregnant with Lucy and had been in a car accident. She'd been trapped in the car for almost three hours, her legs caught beneath the dash and had gone into labour. No sooner had the rescue workers gotten Ruby freed of the wreckage was their third child born, right there in the middle of the street in the shadow of what could have been her mother's demise – and her own. Mother was fine save for some lacerations and a broken ankle, and Lucy in a move that surprised them all had been born healthy as an ox and screaming like a trooper. There wasn't one thing wrong with her – out of all three of his children she was the only one he'd seen born. He'd left the kids with Vince when he got the call and had spent almost as long as Ruby was in the car on his side, laying on the road holding her hand through the broken window.

He'd wasted no time marrying her after that. Three months later to the day, he had made Ruby Jane Garrison his wife. Vince had been his best man, Cade one of his groomsmen and Tala had been Ruby's matron of honour, Rory a bridesmaid. He still carried the picture that had been taken of them all at the reception – himself, Ruby, Vince, Tala, Cade holding Lucy, Rory and Lia all in their formal wear and sitting on the hood of the newly restored Jetta – in his wallet.

"Daddy?"

Leon kissed Lucy's cheek loudly, pretending to eat her cheek as she squealed with delight.

"What's up, Sweetie?"

She grinned down at him, pale cheeks dimpling, bright red hair falling into her eyes.

"When's Mama having new baby?"

Cade and Amelia, running around in front of them like madmen both halted their antics and flew to his side.

"Yeah, Dad – when's Miss Ruby having the baby?" Despite trying over the years, Cade hadn't been able to shake calling her that and the entire family suspected he'd do it until the day he died. He had so much respect for her and loved her so much that calling her anything else felt wrong to him. He'd only ever called her Mama the one time when he'd broken his arm after falling from his bike and that had been amidst sobs and plenty of tears. It was never spoken of again, but Leon had decided that if that was how it was going to go, then so be it. Ruby had been his mother for pretty much his entire life and he wasn't going to deprive him of that.

"Well," he started, sliding his shades back on as they walked along the shore line, "- the scan she had the other day says she's thirteen weeks along. So in about six months."

Amelia frowned, kicking at the white water around her feet. "Six months? That's forever, Daddy!" she never once let go of Cade's hand as they walked along the shore. She was constantly paranoid about getting swept out to sea. "Can't we have her now?"

"**Her**?" Cade stopped, forcing her to as well. "Who says it's a her? It might be a boy this time – right Dad? It went me, then you, then Lucky, now its another boy!" Lucky had been Cade's nickname for Lucy since day one – it had caught on and almost everyone called her that now.

"Is not!"

Cade's eyes darkened and he let go of Amelia's hand, scowling down at her. "Is too!"

Leon watched with a quirked brow as Amelia bent down and scooped up a handful of wet sand, then hurled it at Cade's face and poked her tongue out. "It is too a girl!" She even stomped her foot for extra emphasis. She looked up at him, wide green eyes imploring him to take her side. "Tell him, Daddy!"

Leon smirked, trying not to look to amused by the goings on. "Hey now, I'm not getting involved in this one." He eyed Cade preparing to retaliate. "I'd run if I were you, Lia."

The little girl looked confused for a moment, then saw her brother tightly packing sand into his hands and took off running, yet again throwing abuse back at him. The dark haired sprite was off after her in an instant and screaming obscenities right back at her and Leon found himself grateful there was virtually nobody else around to hear his heathen children swearing like sailors.

He shook his head, shifting Lucy onto his other hip, watching her settle against his shoulder.

"You know what, Lucky?" He asked her quietly, " I don't care what people say - I'm glad you're quiet." He stroked her cheek with the back of his knuckles, letting her take his left hand to play with the ring on his finger. She loved shiny things.

Her voice was soft and muffled but he still made out her words. "Why?"

"Because," he kissed the top of her head, "- I've already got two ferals. God knows I need one normal child."

She giggled quietly against his chest, little fingers abandoning his wedding ring to play with the beads on his nipple ring. "Love Daddy."

Leon smiled, resting his cheek against her soft hair, watching his two older children beat each other silly. "Love you too, Lucky."


End file.
